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Kids can be cruel, and you may want to leave the princess dress at home if you know you are going to an environment where teasing would be likely. The only consideration I would make, as a parent, is to help your child make informed decisions when you leave the house. Recoiling in horror or lavishing your child with praise will just send a message that something is wrong. How would you act if your child dressed up as a fireman? Because that’s about the same level of interest that cross-dressing should inspire. The best reaction to a boy dressing as a girl is to not make a big deal about it – one way or the other. (Cue you, telling your husband to relax). HOWEVER, I feel compelled to point out that Gender Identity Disorder affects under 1% of the population, whereas temporary cross-dressing likely affects every child at some point. If a parent has a child who consistently expresses a wish to be another gender, it would be good for them to see a therapist specializing in this disorder. This disorder is marked by a persistent desire to be the opposite gender – not by a desire to occasionally dress as the opposite gender. I will briefly mention Gender Identity Disorder because it can be very troublesome for some children. These are two separate factors of a person’s identity, but dressing up as the opposite gender as a child is not likely to have any affect on either, nor is it likely to be a predictor of either. Our society seems to have some discomfort in boys dressing up as girls, and a part of this has to do with fears relating to gender identity and sexual orientation. (Not that there is anything wrong with it). Now, as a 6-year-old, he is obsessed with his Spiderman costume, and would probably die of mortification if I showed him the pictures of his princess phase. At the end of the year, the preschool sent home a photo album of the children and there were numerous photos of my son in that dress. (Which I doubt would leave an adult paralyzed in fear that their child may grow up to want to be a dog).Ĭase in point: when my son Jafta was in preschool, he was particularly fond of the Snow White costume in the pretend play area. It is natural that they might want to experiment with being a different gender, just as they might want to pretend to be a puppy. Kids are exploring who they are, but at this age they are also very clearly delineating the gender differences between girls and boys. Children of this age should engage in a wide variety of fantasy play, and pretending to be a different gender is just one variation. In fact, pretend play is considered to be a sign of healthy development. Should we be worried?Ĭhildren dressing up as the opposite gender is very common (almost as common, in fact, as parents who are worried about this behavior.) But rest assured, it is perfectly normal.ĭressing up and playing pretend is the activity of choice for children of this age. Should parents worry if sons like to dress as girls? – Orange County Register Close MenuĪs a therapist, what do you think about little boys dressing up as girls? Sometimes my 5-year-old son wants to dress in my daughter’s princess costumes and it really bothers my husband.
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