Let’s Talk: Gender Identity and Children
There’s a growing movement among some parents, psychologists and teachers to leave gender development up to their children.
From the New York Times this morning:
“Children as young as 5 who display predispositions to dress like the opposite sex are being supported by a growing number of young parents, educators and mental health professionals.
“Doctors, some of them from the top pediatric hospitals, have begun to advise families to let these children be “who they are” to foster a sense of security and self-esteem. They are motivated, in part, by the high incidence of depression, suicidal feelings and self-mutilation that has been common in past generations of transgender children. Legal trends suggest that schools are now required to respect parents’ decisions.”
To take it a step further, some parents have chosen to medically block puberty with what are called “blockers” to give their children time to “figure out who they are.” Referrals for this kind of service are on the rise, doctors say.
Schools are working to reform their curriculum and vocabulary to be more neutral and “dismantle gender stereotypes.” So if a five-year-old boy shows up to kindergarten in a dress, there’s nothing a teacher can do about it. One doctor working with a handful of children “essentially living as the opposite sex,” says it’s working. The children are happier and their grades have gone up.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has jumped on board and now “requires that students be addressed with “a name and pronoun that corresponds to the gender identity.” It also asks schools to provide a locker room or changing area that corresponds to a student’s chosen gender.”
So let’s talk: How did we get here? And what is it children need to develop a healthy gender identity?
Read the article, Supporting Boys or Girls When the Line is Unclear, for more.
This is so sad isn’t it. Oh dear, it makes me want to cry.
What do these parents think these children know that they don’t!? A small child can’t make these kinds of decisions when they have nothing to base a decision off of. The three year olds in my class have a hard time, as it is, choosing whether or not they want to play with lego or at the computer. A good teacher knows that when I child is faced with too many decisions, and they can’t make one, you narrow it down for them. Lets not confuse gender issues too. : (
My question is, when does a parent think it’s okay to step in and say ”actually no?” Are the sweet little boys that want to dress in girls clothes the same boys whose parents will let them eat chicken nuggets every night instead of the dinner Mummy has cooked? I don’t know. Do parents need job descriptions now?
When I talk about raising children I like to use the analogy of growing roses. A good gardener will prune his rose and guide it to grow in the right places. If they didn’t they would end up with a wirey ugly rose that will hardly flower.
Parents, it is okay to set boundaries for your children.
God bless you parents. It can’t be easy.
I saw this today on Al Mohler’s blog, and I’m with you, Annabelle. The thought of some teacher “supporting” a child’s gender confusion makes me want to cry.
If by cry you mean find a thick piece of hickory and visit the Teacher’s Lounge.
Parenting is hard enough without ‘help’ like that. We’ve always been public school supporters, but not if Charlie can become Charlotte if he wants to.
Astonishing! Is it any wonder that Jesus said, “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.”
In a society so desperate for sexual fulfillment we are now faced with an erosion of sexual identity. Sexuality is such an integral part of the human spirit, that this can be seen as an attack on who we are as human beings.
I long to see the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, where he says with wonderful anticipation, “in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and people will stream to it”.
Despite everything, I am hopeful, because out of great darkness a light shines. People must eventually see that the things they worshipped, once so attractive, have let them down, and they will look for a real saviour.
[...] some schools are supporting first-graders’ decisions about their gender identity. Cameron has an excellent rundown at his [...]
Wow, I had no idea the world had got to this stage. I don’t feel like I can bring a great wealth of knowledge to the table. However, it is my opinion that men and women were intended (by our intelligent designer) to be different, serve different functions and react differently (emotionally). I think it is a mistake to consider men and women the same. Children, before puberty, are not so significantly different from one another, many of the gender distinctive qualities are not yet developed. I think giving children the opportunity to explore either Gender will only lead to confusion when the differences become more obvious and significant.
I don’t have a problem with a small boy playing with barbies occasionally, but I think it is important to illustrate the reality of the differences between men and women.
Maybe this is a controversial view, I am not sexist in any way, but I do feel strongly about this topic.