I was trolling the Internet for celebrity gossip ways to save the planet when I came across this little gem. A Swedish couple refuses to publicly identify the gender of their 2 ½ year old child. No one (except those close enough to change the diaper) know whether “Pop” is a boy or a girl. The reason? The parents don’t want to the child subjected to “specific gender molds”. They believe that this child will become a better person if society doesn’t label them and treat them according to one stereotype or another.
Am I narrow minded or is this sideshow the biggest bunch of parenting malarkey e-vah??
I have a list of about 1000 things I need to protect my children from – and they all come before “gender labeling”. In fact, I think I need to protect my boys more from my cranky self somedays than a stranger assuming that they like trucks. And despite the horrific and inhumane gender labeling that both Noah and Chase faced as toddlers, they still like to cook, dance and show their feelings.
But here’s the real irony: Not only are these parents setting up a complete false reality for their child, but by trying to avoid one label, they are stamping an even bigger one right across the kid’s forehead which says, “My parents are completely nuts.” Personally, I would rather have people tell my children they are “pretty” (for girls) or “cool” (for boys), than cross the street when they see us coming.
Opposing views are welcome.
