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Do you think the mother is handling the situation the right way?

I don't get the link Chris, but I saw this on the Today Show.

I don't know if that link is to the Today Show segment or not, but today on the Today Show, I was not all that impressed with this woman's plight.

On the Today Show she had him in a ballerina type outfit, and he was made to do a twirl.

I guess I don't care if she feels he wants to dress as such at home, but I wonder what he is going to have to deal with as he enters higher grades. I feel he is too young to publicly identify as gay (which his mom does not seemingly assume) so I wonder how he is going to do in class when he is all in pink...

I did not get that he was gay, and no matter if he is...he is being set up for being teased. His dress is too elaborate even for the average girl. What ever happened to jeans and a tee shirt?

I don't know. I do know that kids want what they want, and they want it with a passion sometimes. I let my son eat maple syrup on his salad because he wont eat it any other way and when faced with the choice of a huge battle over food that ends with him barely eating an adventure bite of salad with "normal" dressing or letting him happily scarf down a plate of spinach with maple syrup on it, considering that most dressings are loaded with corn syrup anyway...I decide to choose my battles.

Clothing has been an issue for us but we try to compromise. My boys can dress up like girls all they want at home, in make up and dresses, but they aren't going to go to school like that, because there's a uniform but also because I would be embarrassed, in spite of my not WANTING to care about something so superficial. Also I would worry that they would be bullied.

At the same time, I think that if the kid REALLY wants something and isn't going to be happy any other way...let him wear the stupid dress, kwim?

Hey Red. Hopefully this one works better.



Part of me really wants to congratulate the boys parents for being so accepting and nurturing of the boy, but another part of me is wondering if they're being naive. He'll have to leave the safety and security of his family one day, and when he gets to fifth, sixth, seventh grade, and if he's still into wearing dresses, I wonder how he'll be treated by his peers. Kids that age can be brutal.

Chris, thanks for the re-link. I think something with my comp blocks some things from here...

Anyway, I agree with you. It is great his parents are not being awful about it, but I do suspect Mom's agenda. This kid doesn't seem as if he is embracing the cross dressing culture, but more that he is embracing the "dare to be different" angle.

Chris wrote:

Part of me really wants to congratulate the boys parents for being so accepting and nurturing of the boy, but another part of me is wondering if they're being naive. He'll have to leave the safety and security of his family one day, and when he gets to fifth, sixth, seventh grade, and if he's still into wearing dresses, I wonder how he'll be treated by his peers. Kids that age can be brutal.

Thing of it is Chris is that all kids who are not popular or pretty or in the right group ARE going to be subjected to hell their entire school careers. My mother was harrassed every day of her life as a child by everybody because she had red hair, because she wore glasses, because she was the tiniest child in the whole school, she didn't need to do something 'outrageous' like some people might consider letting this boy wear dresses might be. And then when my oldest sister was in school, the students AND teachers harrassed her every day because she had divorced parents, the TEACHERS were bullying her for her parents' marital status. Other students at public school are all a matter of you can't win anyway, no matter what you do, so you have to decide which way it's going to be.

Great that the mom is accepting but I'm also uncomfortable with mom's writing a book and the media thing. He probably likes the dresses but I agree he doesn't seem all that upbeat about being the face of boys that like girls clothes.

I wonder about the later years, too. I know that some children have identified with the opposite gender at a VERY early age. A few years back, I watched a program about children as young as 4 or 5 who were considered trans-gendered. It was a heartbreaking documentary as you really saw the struggles these children were going through. I'm not saying that's the case with this little boy, but seeing that interview made me think of this Barbara Walters special.

Here's the first part. It's a powerful documentary, if you have the time to watch it.

Chris wrote:

Part of me really wants to congratulate the boys parents for being so accepting and nurturing of the boy, but another part of me is wondering if they're being naive. He'll have to leave the safety and security of his family one day, and when he gets to fifth, sixth, seventh grade, and if he's still into wearing dresses, I wonder how he'll be treated by his peers. Kids that age can be brutal.

It's gonna go beyond just peers his own age. If he keeps on wearing dresses in public, he will have adults (relatives, other parents, neighbors, teachers, strangers) making comments and possibly giving him a hard time too. I don't know exactly how they're approaching this, but him wearing dresses should be done with a certain understanding that what's ok in doors around the family isn't necessarily gonna be dealt with nicely outside.

AtownPeep wrote:

Chris wrote:

Part of me really wants to congratulate the boys parents for being so accepting and nurturing of the boy, but another part of me is wondering if they're being naive. He'll have to leave the safety and security of his family one day, and when he gets to fifth, sixth, seventh grade, and if he's still into wearing dresses, I wonder how he'll be treated by his peers. Kids that age can be brutal.

It's gonna go beyond just peers his own age. If he keeps on wearing dresses in public, he will have adults (relatives, other parents, neighbors, teachers, strangers) making comments and possibly giving him a hard time too. I don't know exactly how they're approaching this, but him wearing dresses should be done with a certain understanding that what's ok in doors around the family isn't necessarily gonna be dealt with nicely outside.

Seriously. To me, they're being very naive.

Being too accepting sometimes is what makes something worse.

I've got seriously mixed feelings about this. Part of me thinks he's identifying at a very early age. Happens. If that's the case I'm glad the parents & his brother are cool with it. But then the cynical bitch in me rears her ugly head & is a little suspicious about the book & media tour, and how mom carried a copy of the the book to give to the woman at the store. Shades of balloon boy. Reality show-"Life with My Princess Boy" & the day to day struggles in an unaccepting society...so I don't know.

But I wanted to slap Meredith Viera for having him twirl. Twice. WTH does that have to do with anything? The kid wants to wear dresses not be a ballerina.

[quote="AtownPeep"]

Chris wrote:

... I don't know exactly how they're approaching this, but him wearing dresses should be done with a certain understanding that what's ok in doors around the family isn't necessarily gonna be dealt with nicely outside.

There's another thread about kids in nudist situations. Same for nudist families who have kids and have to explain to them community standards.

Of course there is nothing wrong with being naked around other ppl, but you can't go out of the house or beach area without "community approved clothing."

Why was this even on the news in the first place?

Tony Marino wrote:

Why was this even on the news in the first place?

It's supposed to be a educational?

Tony Marino wrote:

Why was this even on the news in the first place?

Because the mother has books she wants to sell.

Marc™ wrote:

Tony Marino wrote:

Why was this even on the news in the first place?

Because the mother has books she wants to sell.

And this made the news. What garbage they show on the news that is one of the reasons I don't watch the news anymore because of nonsense like this.

Tony Marino wrote:

Marc™ wrote:

Because the mother has books she wants to sell.

And this made the news. What garbage they show on the news that is one of the reasons I don't watch the news anymore because of nonsense like this.

Ditto! The news is old!

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Tony Marino wrote:

And this made the news. What garbage they show on the news that is one of the reasons I don't watch the news anymore because of nonsense like this.

Ditto! The news is old!

Can I call a press conference and tell the world that I prefer boxer briefs to boxers? Think I can get a modeling career going then?

Tony Marino wrote:

Can I call a press conference and tell the world that I prefer boxer briefs to boxers? Think I can get a modeling career going then?

Nah, I should call and tell the press I don't like watching sports.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Nah, I should call and tell the press I don't like watching sports.

That's actually not a bad idea if you think about it, FM. The news goes on all the time about sports, the sports players, the sports games, the sports scores, they SHOULD have something on there that focuses on the anti-sports people of the world.

Supernova wrote:

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Nah, I should call and tell the press I don't like watching sports.

That's actually not a bad idea if you think about it, FM. The news goes on all the time about sports, the sports players, the sports games, the sports scores, they SHOULD have something on there that focuses on the anti-sports people of the world.

Nice way to put it; I agree. lol But since when is the news media ever balanced? They focus on sports obsession and you're a freak if you don't give a fack who wins the superbowl.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Tony Marino wrote:

Can I call a press conference and tell the world that I prefer boxer briefs to boxers? Think I can get a modeling career going then?

Nah, I should call and tell the press I don't like watching sports.

Yeah and maybe you will get a job sportscasting!

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

Supernova wrote:

That's actually not a bad idea if you think about it, FM. The news goes on all the time about sports, the sports players, the sports games, the sports scores, they SHOULD have something on there that focuses on the anti-sports people of the world.

Nice way to put it; I agree. lol But since when is the news media ever balanced? They focus on sports obsession and you're a freak if you don't give a fack who wins the superbowl.

I am with you, I was a Jets fan at one time now I could care less who wins the SB.

Tony Marino wrote:

Yeah and maybe you will get a job sportscasting!

A sportscaster who hates sports?