The power of markers

Gender markers, that is. I’m continually fascinated by how folks read gender markers on Q. For example, this weekend, he was wearing jeans and a turquoise shirt (not too “loud” turquoise). He declared it “a blue day” — nothing about gender, just really about style. We were walking around our liberal town and he was [...]

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Horrors…Halloween

I’m so not a fan of “holidays” that are trumped up opportunities for commercialism. For me, Halloween is one of them, though not as bad as some.
We don’t do much in our family for Halloween, though Q usually has some sort of costume — last year, an entirely purple fairy. This year, a vampire. Mighty [...]

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Playing with gender, playing with identities

Q has been in an interesting phase of playing with his identity lately. I love watching this develop, as I think it’s all about the development of 5 and 6 year olds, the ego, considering oneself in relation to others, etc.
Here’s how it’s played out: Q is now very conscious, when he’s choosing his clothing, [...]

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Something cool about my kid

We were talking today about going clothes shopping.
Q: “Oh! I LOVE clothes shopping!”
Me: “Do you have something in mind that you’re looking for?”
Q (considers for a bit): “Well, a few more ties. Kids’ ties. (pause) And dresses and skirts.”
How cool is that? Ties and dresses and skirts. He’s definitely got a penchant for the fancy, [...]

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Beauty and Appreciation

Recently, we attended a family wedding. When we first told Q about the wedding, he proclaimed his desire to wear his butterfly skirt and “get all fancy.” He was excited. But it wasn’t really the kind of place where that would work. I know, I know, we could have used it as a growing/learning/pushing boundaries [...]

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“The Look.”

Yesterday Q wore a skirt to school for the first time this year. I admit that I was glad he held off until after the first week…for many reasons. There are lots of new kids in his class, and I guess I wanted them to know he’s a boy before he wore “non-boy” clothes. I [...]

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World Changers

Recently in the land of the internet, both on blogs and a message board or two, I’ve read (and sometimes been a part of) conversations about boys who cross the boundaries of social norms. Often, parents are hesitant about what to do.
Do I let my son wear purple to school? Will he be ostracized or [...]

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An Olympic Tribute

I’ve got to admit that I’m an Olympics addict. I live for the Olympics, especially the summer games. And I can’t say how thankful I am to have DVR this time around so I can watch everything, still sleep, AND get to miss commercials. And, I’ve gotten Q to be an official Olympic addict with [...]

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Protecting them, protecting myself

Howdy folks…it’s been a while. Luckily, we were enjoying a bit of family r and r. Much needed. Much enjoyed. Now, very much back into the swing of things.
On our travels, which took us, with great luck, to the Caribbean, I found myself watching in a new way to see what folks, both local and [...]

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