*If you know of an article that you found helpful or supportive, please let me know so I can add it to the list.
What Not To Say
Today’s Parent has a great article to get the conversation started about looking different in public. Often, people stare at what they perceive as different. Some kids even voice their opinions on what is different. This post encourages parents to talk about those differences. Let your kids ask questions. Have conversations about their questions. We are all different. And that’s what makes us all special! What Not To Say is a must-read for anyone looking for a way to get the conversation started!
What not to say to your kids when they see a genderqueer person on the street
For The Parents of Gender Non-conforming Kids, A New Approach To Care
“Gender-nonconforming children who are supported by their parents in expressing their identities by and large thrive.” This is a quote from Tey Meadow’s post in The Conversation. For the parents of gender non-conforming kids, a new approach to care is a fantastic post about how to support our children. It can be stressful for both parents and children when the child does not follow typical gender norms. Support needs to start first at home. The child needs to know they are loved and supported no matter what. This is another must-read!
How Do I Talk To My Preschooler About Identity?
This is a question I ask myself all the time. This post Planned Parenthood put out is a great place to get started. It includes a few videos and some common questions we should be asking ourselves when having these types of discussions with our kids. We need to get away from the typical gender stereotypes. Girls don’t all want to be a princess. And boys don’t all want to be a superhero. Girls and boys can be anything! Check it out by clicking the link below.
Away from school pressures, children who defy gender norms blossom at home
This CNN article by Lisa Selin Davis is very eye-opening. I highly encourage watching the short video at the beginning and reading the article to the end. As a whole, we have come a long way from discriminating against those who do not follow gender norms. But, there is still a lot of work to be done. Children who are different are not accepted everywhere. The acceptance should and often does start at home. But school is still often the scariest place for children. We need to have these conversations about gender and being different than what is thought of as normal starting at a young age. Check out the article below!
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/health/gender-expansive-children-pandemic-wellness/index.html
Explaining Nonbinary: How To Talk To Kids About Gender
Parents has a wonderful post about discussing gender with young children. There a few videos that break down what gender means easily for young children. The post also covers many topics including what is nonbinary, celebrating our differences, how to answer if a child asks “is that a boy or a girl”, and ways to get the conversation started. We should be celebrating our differences. As I’ve said before, these difficult discussions need to be happening at a young age. Children start to define gender in those early school-age experiences and it’s important that they understand gender is more than just a boy and a girl. Amber Leventry does a great job covering this topic. Check it out below!
https://www.parents.com/kids/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-gender/
Dear Fast Food Industry: Enough With The Boy/Girl Toys
Laci Morgan wrote a great post on Scary Mommy in January of 2019 about the toys our children receive in a kids meal from fast food restaurants. Just because the toy choices are Pokemon and Shopkins doesn’t mean a boy wants Pokemon and a girl wants Shopkins. Plenty of girls enjoy Pokemon as much as boys do. Plenty of boys enjoy Shopkins as much as girls do. Gender does not define the toys you are allowed to play with. Toys are just toys. They are meant for children to enjoy, no matter the gender they are born with. Check out the full post below.
Dear Fast Food Industry: Enough With The Boy/Girl Toys