Their ain't no middle ground!

In reply to novaderrik:

You've got 11 years on me, and I got the real choking hazards. My life got boring after I turned 21.

Jay wrote: ^^ Yeah, my point was, I've had mine long since I was young enough to be regularly mistaken for a girl. Seriously, I grew it out around grade four. And I've never had any "gender confusion" or identity issues at all. There is NO correlation. You don't have to macho up your boys or pretty-princess your girls in order for them to turn out to be sane, grounded adults.

You do realize that you are taking your own personal experience and claiming it as a universal truth?

You can see that, right?

ummm ok i honestly think what these parents are doing is awesome. they are letting the child find thier own way. by time they are 6 or 7 most likely they will know very clearly wheather they are male or female and act or dress accordingly. it is very painful for a child tho to be put into the male or female box when it does not fit them from a mental perspective. remember, you have sex, then you have gender, then you have sexual orientation, for most of the population those 3 all fit congruently. but not all. by not mentioning a sex it allows the child to grow into the gender where they are most comfortable. i for one think this is a great idea.

z31maniac wrote: You do realize that you are taking your own personal experience and claiming it as a universal truth? You can see that, right?

Yes I do, as a matter of fact. I'm using it as an anecdote to support an argument that has been accepted in the scientific literature for 30+ years. I'd love to throw credentials around and claim I'm an expert, but I'm not, so feel free to take anything I say with a grain of salt, and please do check my facts if you don't agree. Critical thinking is ALWAYS the right way to approach things.

Jay wrote:

z31maniac wrote: You do realize that you are taking your own personal experience and claiming it as a universal truth? You can see that, right?

Yes I do, as a matter of fact. I'm using it as an anecdote to support an argument that has been accepted in the scientific literature for 30+ years. I'd love to throw credentials around and claim I'm an expert, but I'm not, so feel free to take anything I say with a grain of salt, and please do check my facts if you don't agree. Critical thinking is ALWAYS the right way to approach things.

A case study does not a generalization make. Case studies are not considered proper scientific evidence, so while your experience is useful, it hardly proves your case.

Just because it worked for you, doesn't mean it will work for anyone else, or in their particular situation, etc.

That said, it's right there in print that kid is obviously upset by what is going (and we can only speculate as to whether he is being forced by his parents or not). Again, just like your experience, my experience tells me that children don't continue to make the same choice over and over again when it brings them pain/ridicule/etc.