Relationships January 17, 2017
At age four, Isabel never wore pink, slept in a Spider-man comforter, and insisted on playing with Hot Wheels cars and action figures. When she was still doing the same a couple of years later, her mother called in a psychiatrist.
The doctor suggested that they start treating him as a boy by giving him a boy’s name and allowing him to do “boy things,” Isabel’s mother told Parents Magazine.
“A child’s gender-specific behavior is influenced by their identification with the males and females in their lives; however, the sense of being a girl or a boy cannot be changed,” according to parenting advice website HealthyChildren.org.
In other words, one cannot choose or change their gender identity. It is an inherent sense of how individuals identify themselves, and even more the reason to practice gender neutral parenting.
Transgender individuals would find gender neutral parenting especially beneficial to their mental well-being since parents encourage play that is not specific to the child’s biological gender.
Parents should provide their young children with an environment that “reflects diversity in gender roles and encourages opportunities for everyone,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics,
READ MORE: Carrie Fisher Raised Her Daughter Gender-Neutral; Why You Should, Too
This could mean that the parents share equal household responsibilities, like taking turn doing the dishes and cooking versus having this always fall on the mother in a traditional sense. It could also mean that the parents of a transgender girl, (like in Isabel’s case), could allow their daughter to roll around in the dirt with her Tonka trucks.
This practice of raising children gender neutral enforces that the child does not have preconceived notions of what a specific gender should look like. Instead, the child can grow into however he or she is comfortable exhibiting their identity. And more importantly, the child feels that their expressions and interests are worthy and valued at home.
This notion is taken a step further by advice site Everyday Feminism suggesting that an “open dialogue is more powerful than a room full of gender neutral toys that raises no question at all.” Although it seems that pop culture is doing a good job of that already…
Reality television series “I Am Cait” on E! documents Bruce Jenner’s transformation into Caitlyn. While in the process of completing her transition, she goes on the road to meet transgender people and raise awareness about many issues they face in their community.
Amazon sitcom “Transparent” stars Jeffrey Tambor in his multi-award winning role as Maura Pfefferman. It highlights one man’s journey as he struggles to tell his three children about how he identifies as a woman, and then transitions from ‘Mort’ to become ‘Maura.’ Executive Producer, Jill Soloway used her own transgender father as the inspiration for this character.
Other shows that celebrate the transgender community include TLC’s “I Am Jazz” and Fuse network’s “Transcendent.” Each of these television series embrace the diverse nature of transgender individuals, providing an even greater reason to practice gender neutrality early in life.
