As parents, we have a responsibility to deal with our own issues and not let them project onto our kids. Let this story be a lesson in that.
As a mom of both a boy and a girl, I am often privy to the many gender stereotypes that make up our lives and the ways that we project our own worries and fears onto our little ones just because of their gender.
Men worry their sons won't be good at sports. Moms worry their daughters won't like shopping. And vice versa. Oh yes, it goes round and round. But guess what? Our children are not us. And they are not defined by their gender. They are who they are.
A boy can get abused just as easily as a girl and a boy can be vulnerable and cry and be into art just as a girl can be into science and want to build skyscrapers and wear overalls. It's all OK. Changing a child's gender or confusing them about what is expected of them doesn't help anyone.
My heart goes out to this poor mom who thought she had to do this. She didn't. There are other ways to protect our kids and to be vigilant. My guess is she felt her options were very limited. She did what she could to protect her daughter. And the only thing she could do? Was to make her a boy.
It's so sad.
Do you ever worry about your daughter because she is a girl?
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