would you raise your child gender neutral?

Niketa - posted on 02/28/2013

We want our boys to grow up to be nurturing, caring fathers and husbands. We want to give our girls the same opportunities as boys. Let them start when they are young... with the toys. Let girls know it is great if they learn to be assertive, build, create, jump, hammer away or want to be super heros. Many hairstylist, fashion/ interior designers and chefs are men so why shouldn't boys also play with these items as toys. Gender roles in society are shifting and evolving.
http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Just-Color-So...

Kate - posted on 10/01/2011

Is that even possible?? Kids have preferences - boy or girl! Agree with everyone who said they choose themselves and gravitate to what they feel comfortable with.
How would you go about it? If my little girl wanted to play with a doll would I encourage her to rather play with a truck or visa versa? Or liked pink, I'd make her wear what? Just not sure what gender neutral really MEANS...
??? agree also that if you have a girl, it's a girl, a boy, a boy and if you have a child with both then by all means raise them to be accepting of that but what does it mean... gender neutral?

Shana - posted on 09/28/2011

I am with Amy (the very first post), my eldest son naturally gravitated towards truck and cars and could make a million and one sound effects which try as I may i cannot master :) I now have 4 boys (aged 11,8,7 and 3) and one daughter (3months) - none of my sons shy away from "girls things" (for example they where given FLURO pink motorzied bike) and they still play with them, they play happily in the home corner and cook and clean :) My daughter is so young yet to really care but I watching to see HER preferences...



if you want your kid well rounded my advice would be not to "hide" their or anyones elses gender - but rather make it a non-issue...dolls,truck,balls and an environment of support for their preferences

Tammy - posted on 09/26/2011

NO! My child was born a girl and I will raise her as such.
I always, wonder who comes up with these crazy ideas, such as "gender neutral". Do some parents plan for the possibility that their child might be a homosexual, thus not wanting to offend them, they want to raise them "gender neutral"? Well, rounded???!!! Pu-leeeeze! :O

Sarah - posted on 09/20/2011

Is ur child gender neutral (male and female genitals?) iv honestky never heard of raising ur child 'gender neutral' if they are a boy or girl, maybe if they were born with something that would mean u have to decide for them so to speak but if they r a girl then they r a girl, i think children should be raised to accept and be accepted by all ppl regardless of their choices in life, gay, straight, job role etc etc!
Im not sure actually if im not educated enough in this subject as im not sure i fully understand, do u mean like if u have a daughter u wouldnt put them in dresses or tie up their hair in bows or if u have a son u would put him in dresses and grow his hair?! Or a mixture of both for either sex?
I have a daughter and i dress her like a girl alhtough she wears yellow and green and blue with jeans,a nd although she has some stereotypical girls toys i think most toys r gender neutral anyway, boys like pushchairs and barbies, girls like cars and building blocks!!
This question has confused me abit but also made me think xx xx xx

Rachele - posted on 09/13/2011

As wonderful as I think the idea is, and I wish society was on board, they arent. I will not raise my children in a way that will set them up for a harder time in life.. unfortunetly, our society is not gender neutral, therefore they would have a really hard time adjusting to society. How would they use a public washroom? How would they fill out the forms on government ID, job applications.. etc. How would they shop for clothing? EVERYTHING is dictated by gender... its unfortunate, but its the way it is.

Emily - posted on 09/06/2011

Depends on what you mean by that.. also, I don't know if it's proven anywhere that it "makes them more well rounded."

I've heard of parents go to the extreme of not telling people the sex of their child.. that to me is not right.

I do agree with not purposely forcing a child into typical gender roles.. for instance I would never tell my children they can't do certain things because of their gender.

However, having a boy and a girl has really opened my eyes to how much nature takes a role in shaping them. From day one, my son gravitated toward "boy" stuff like trains and cars, even though he also had "girl" stuff to play with. My daughter on the other hand, since babyhood has loved playing with dolls and other typical girl stuff. I can't really say either one was encouraged one way or the other.. that's really just how they've developed on their own. Truly I don't think there is such a thing as being "gender neutral."

Diane - posted on 08/23/2011

Nope, wouldn't do it. But, as the mother of a 2 year old little girl (2 today!) i'm very VERY selective of what she plays with. For examply, fisher price feels the need to make multi coloured toys and then the same toy in shades of pink. Now I don't know about you but i want my daughter to learn ALL the colours not just pale pink, light pink, fuschia etc.

Also, kids are smarter than we think. Just because we don't tell them they're a girl doesn't mean they don't already know and have their own feelings about it. My daughter knows that boys are daddys and girls are mommys. Could be from the books I'm reading to her but she came to that conclusion by herself. I didn't force the You're a girl and I'm a girl and daddy's a boy on her.
Also, she has mostly gender neutral toys. Except for the pink barbie convertible and Barbie doll which i'm hoping she'll lose interest in soon so I can chuck it in the garbage! I'd prefer her to play with Dora and Handy Manny toys, blocks, and just anything that sparks her imagination.
Just Sunday she got 2 gifts, sooooo geared for little girls. One is a fairy land play tree house that's practially all pink and it's very very girly, and another one, i can't even remember but it's all pink.
they're going back this coming weekend!! And we're picking up a Mickey Mouse camping set pretend play toy for her!

Rachael - posted on 08/16/2011

no not really. i think that it would be a really hard thing to do because there are so many things that gender can affect. Plus, I think that in alot of cases it's just how they are. My son, ever since I can remember, has loved trucks and cars and ball. He has stuffed toys and dolls, but he rarely ever plays with them. If he suddenly started playing with his stuffed toys and dolls, I wouln't have a problem with it though

Amy - posted on 08/15/2011

I honestly think it is ingrained in them. My son started saying vroom on his own. We had no idea where he got it from. Given a choice of a doll or a truck he will pick the truck. But if he played with a doll neither I or my husband would have a problem with it.