You may have heard of the Toronto-based couple who have decided to leave their baby’s (Storm) gender a mystery. Storm’s parents already have two boys who are home-schooled and have more freedoms than most children.
And, Storm’s parents have decided that Western society puts too much emphasis on male behaviour vs. female behaviour and want Storm to be able to pursue what he or she wishes to do and say. There’s a good overview of the story on the CTV news web site.
On one hand, I applaud Storm’s parents for sticking to their beliefs and morals and pursuing a way of life that is controversial and unpopular. On the other hand, I worry about Storm. He/She is only four months old right now but foisting grown-up values on a small child may come back to haunt the family later. Will Storm be resentful about the attention? Will he/she rebel against his/her parents and become uber-conservative or outlandishly liberal? Will Storm’s mental health suffer because of this experiment?
What say you readers? How will Storm weather this “genderless baby” storm?
Kids & Mental Health 
After reading the article on CTV, I get the feeling that the parents are going overboard with this idea. At some point, the child will figure his/her gender out. But I wonder if the parents will be disappointed by the choice. I mean, I really don’t understand their agenda. It’s like they’re worried their baby won’t be comfortable in his/her own skin. So they’re trying to lesson the impact? I don’t know.
Hmmmm… interesting way to put it, Jackie – “not comfortable in his/her own skin.” A parent wouldn’t want a child to feel like its gender was shameful or a secret. I just hope this experiment has positive implications on the child and his/her siblings.
kidsandmentalhealth.wordpress.com is cool, bookmarked!
unlock motorola
Oh my, this is just odd on so many levels. I realize there are gender stereotypes out there, but really?? At some point in time, humans need to have boundaries and rules to learn our roles in society. I think gender is one example of this. Science has been debating the role of “nature vs. nurture” for years and has pretty much concluded both elements are important. This just feels like a psychological experiment gone terribly wrong.
Yikes. As I replied to Jackie’s comment, I hope, for Storm’s sake, that we’re all wrong about this. Poor kid – thrust into the spotlight at such a young age! I hope the experience will make him/her a stronger person as he/she grows.
I just came across this article today! I really don’t know how I feel about this. On one hand, I try to ensure that my kids aren’t taught that “x is for boys/girls” or “girls can’t do x” (don’t even get me started on trying to find certain toys that aren’t pink or blue!!) but would I let my kids make every choice for themselves? Based on what I read, the parents don’t seem to “guide” their kids. It’s not just the clothes and hair, but also things like “unschooling” (i.e. not teaching them anything directly and just letting them explore/learn themselves.) I don’t think kids do well without some boundaries.