MSNBC is reporting that a mother's decision to allow her 5-year-old son to dress up as a female cartoon character for a preschool Halloween party has lit up the blogosphere. Her account of the negative reaction and disapproving looks she received from some parents so far has generated more than 3 million page views and tens of thousands of comments from across the globe. The mother, identified only as "Sarah," allowed her child, identified as "Boo," to dress up for Halloween as a little girl. Boo's fellow students had nothing to say about the matter. However, some parents did have something to say. Sarah told Today that she kept her cool for the sake of her son.
Sarah got it exactly right, said another guest in the segment: Cheryl Kilodavis, whose own son, Dyson, began wearing sparkly and colorful dresses in preschool and still does at age 5. Kilodavis said that while it is important to understand why children cross-dress, it is more important that they are happy and know that they are loved however they dress. Kilodavis self-published a book on what her son and her family went through while trying to understand his choices. Titled My Princess Boy, the book became popular via the Internet.
Kilodavis told Meredith Vieira that she now regrets some of her early reactions to Dyson's decision to wear dresses: "Not proud mom moments," she called them. We all have "not proud moments." This is a serious issue that is contrary to what many people believe to be the norm. However, is it fair for adults to project their adult views about sexuality and sexual orientation onto child's play, particularly when children at that age are completely unaware of issues surrounding gender identity? The kids may actually just be playing. Imagine that?
Read more at MSNBC.