What?! Okay, if the child is old enough to know which gender he prefers to grow up embracing, then all right. I can accept that. But this child is only a few months old. Will it (for lack of a better gender neutral term) be going to the store anytime soon and choosing blue or pink clothes? Will he or she suddenly awaken and announce, "I want to be a (insert gender here)!" 

I'm all for choice but really, the kid isn't even old enough to have the power of speech, how can it possibly decide what gender fits best? And if you are born with a particular sex -- and let's face it most of the population is -- are you doing the child a favor (or harming its ability to "be whomever he/she wants to be) by not happily announcing, "it's a boy!" or "it's a girl?" Really?

And as a parent of well-behaved (albeit now grown) children, when I read about the fact that the parents other two children -- both being raised as boys but being allowed to dress and grow their hair in whatever manner they choose -- are being "unschooled" at home. From what I read, this means these children have no, or very few, boundaries, they don't follow any curriculum and will have no tests. I believe that a part of childhood that is the most amazing is when you see your children learn and grow and discover things on their own, but I also believe they should know world history, math, current events, etc. Again, are the parents doing the children any favor? Will these children be able to attend a dinner party and use the right utensils? Will they be able to be "taken out in public" (think grocery stores or restaurants)? And am I wrong in thinking that by the parents now celebrating the child's "boy-" or "girl-ness" they are doing it a disservice by not accepting the gender it was born as? 

Maybe I am too "old fashioned" in my thinking, but I celebrated the fact that I was able to announce, about my children, what gender they were and I continue to celebrate who they've become. I don't think either of them have suffered because I printed out pink or blue, "welcome my baby" cards and dressed them as a girl and a boy. 

What does this post have to do with writing or social media? Probably not much but then again it does prove a point that if you read current events, you can find things to write about.