"We are really just downright afraid of sissy boys"

I was listening to NPR on my way home from doing serious damage at Barnes and Noble (courtesy of Angel who gifted me a wonderful gift card) and I heard the story Letting 'Princess Boys' be...Themselves on Tell Me More. The topic is little boys who dress like girls and why it freaks people out. The term Princess Boy was coined by one of the women's 5-year-old son. In Cheryl Klodavis' own words....She

He's very comfortable being a boy and he actually coined the term My Princess Boy. He said he wanted to be a princess, and having not one of my great-mother moments, he basically said I'm a princess. And I said girls are princesses not boys. And he turned to me and looked me square in the eye and said I am a princess boy.

She talks about people who make fun or laugh at her son and at her because he likes sparkling things and dresses. His comment on the matter is that they can't be his friend unless they can be his friend while he's wearing a dress. When the interview asked if she thought her son was gay, her response was that she thought her son was 5.

We're okay, of course, with women dressing as men at all ages and doing "male" things. We label them strong women and speak highly of them. Or we don't notice because it's becomes so commonplace. But when a boy dresses like we think a girl should or otherwise rejects what we tell him he should be, it's a scandal! It's an outrage! It's a bestseller!*

Another really interesting point made was that the child's brother and father were comfortable with the whole thing way before the mother was. She admitted she still struggles with it - who wants their child to be different and go through the pain and struggle of being different in a society that strives for normal? She has to ask herself what her motivations are when she is bothered by her son's behavior. But she is trying to be a good mom and let her son be who he is. She says that her job as a parent is not to control but guide him.

It was an interesting article and struck me, so I'm writing. The full thing can be found here.

*I am actually really interested in reading her book and am not criticizing her for writing it in the first place - it's an interesting issue that doesn't get enough conversation and thus remains feared.