Category Archive

gender

This 3-year-old knows more about gender than you do

Unlike many of us adults who stumble around trying to read cues from other people, stressing over using the wrong words, kids learn to just ask: “Should I use boy words, girl words, or something else to describe you?”

A gender study from photographer JeongMee Yoon

Photographer JeongMee Yoon’s is studying gender and societal norms for her thesis, and has constructed “The Pink and Blue Project” using photos of children and their gender-specific clothing items and toys.

My Princess Boy

Given all the national media attention last week for Sarah’s post about her son dressing up as Daphne, I thought now might be a great time to share the story of a Seattle mother named Cheryl Kilodavis, whose son Dyson likes to dress up as a girl … more than just for Halloween.

How should my child’s gender be defined?

The age-old struggle: defining gender. Every family has a different way of approaching the topic, and Denise is in the process of figuring out what exactly “female” means for her three month old, Nikte.

Can we change princess culture?

Can we re-message and re-package what “princess” means and looks like in a way that makes princess life empowering and not merely about external appearance, wealth, and netting a hot young prince?

Parenting outside the gender binary

We want Avie to feel as unrestrained by gender as possible. We began by giving him a gender-neutral name and attempting to dress him in neutral colors and patterns. As he gets older, we validate and encourage his emotions, and intend to support him in whatever interests he develops.

My growing boy and the flowered pants

Last month while on clothing expedition, he selected from a shelf a pair of bold, pink flower-covered cotton pants and asked me to buy them for him. I heard a disembodied voice that could only be mine reply stiffly, “Let’s take a look at these pants. Do these look like boy pants, or girl pants?”

Who’s watching the baby?

I’m not offended when I’m asked these questions, at least not for me. But I feel a little irked for Andrew. What, because he is a man the best he can do is “babysit” his child?