Is this normal? Starting to get concerned...

[AcrossTheUniverse]

ktmelody said what I was trying to say, but much more eloquently!

[Kiliki]

We love our kids no matter what, but we are also one of those families that likes to differentiate genders. My son went through a phase of telling me he was a girl, asking if I'd paint his nails, putting on my DD's dresses.

I didn't over-react, I just said, "No, honey you're a boy. You have a penis." Or, Id scoop him up and say, "You're my only boy! I hope you aren't a girl! I like you as a boy!"

Then he started saying "When I grow up, I'm going to be a pretty mommy just like you!" And I would hug him and say something like, "Oh you are so sweet! One day you are going to make a great Daddy! I love you so much!"

And now he says, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a fix-it man and have tools and have a mustache so I can drink beer!" (we don't drink around the kids, but my dad will occasionally sip a beer when we visit - DS asks for some but my dad (who has a full mustache) says, "When you grow a mustache, I'll let you have some")

Kids grow and change and they explore and learn about things in different ways. I think for most kids, it's not a homosexual/transgender thing, it's just a way of expressing what their learning. I think for my son it was more of a "girls are pretty" kind of thing - he was noticing that girls get dressed up and he wanted to express that he felt it was pretty, and that was his way of doing it. I definitely wouldn't be worried about your kid being homosexual/transgendered at such a young age. Their just exploring, pretending, and learning. I also don't think there's anything wrong with KIND, GENTLE correction if you want to do that, just be careful not to overreact if you decide to go that route.

[ktmelody]

Originally Posted by Kiliki We love our kids no matter what, but we are also one of those families that likes to differentiate genders. My son went through a phase of telling me he was a girl, asking if I'd paint his nails, putting on my DD's dresses. I didn't over-react, I just said, "No, honey you're a boy. You have a penis." Or, Id scoop him up and say, "You're my only boy! I hope you aren't a girl! I like you as a boy!" Then he started saying "When I grow up, I'm going to be a pretty mommy just like you!" And I would hug him and say something like, "Oh you are so sweet! One day you are going to make a great Daddy! I love you so much!" And now he says, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a fix-it man and have tools and have a mustache so I can drink beer!" (we don't drink around the kids, but my dad will occasionally sip a beer when we visit - DS asks for some but my dad (who has a full mustache) says, "When you grow a mustache, I'll let you have some") Kids grow and change and they explore and learn about things in different ways. I think for most kids, it's not a homosexual/transgender thing, it's just a way of expressing what their learning. I think for my son it was more of a "girls are pretty" kind of thing - he was noticing that girls get dressed up and he wanted to express that he felt it was pretty, and that was his way of doing it. I definitely wouldn't be worried about your kid being homosexual/transgendered at such a young age. Their just exploring, pretending, and learning. I also don't think there's anything wrong with KIND, GENTLE correction if you want to do that, just be careful not to overreact if you decide to go that route.

Transgendered and homosexual are not synonomous. Just thought I would point that out. Plenty of trans people are straight. In fact the majority are.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by ktmelody Transgendered and homosexual are not synonomous. Just thought I would point that out. Plenty of trans people are straight. In fact the majority are.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to seem like I was implying they are the same. I understand they are not synonymous. I was more saying that people seem to equate normal kid curiosity about gender to the kid either being transgendered OR homosexual. Sorry for the confusion. Bad use of a forward slash.

[ktmelody]

Originally Posted by Kiliki Sorry, I didn't mean it to seem like I was implying they are the same. I understand they are not synonymous. I was more saying that people seem to equate normal kid curiosity about gender to the kid either being transgendered OR homosexual. Sorry for the confusion. Bad use of a forward slash.

Oh good. Lots of people confuse the terms.