Parents of 4-year old transgender child - This Morning interview.

I never join in any contentious or political threads. I'm not sure of the rights or wrongs of this topic. However, I watched the interview at the time and thought the mother in particular was enjoying the limelight.

Iam64 good post.

Galaxy

This morning should not be allowed to cover issues relating to children they just arent equipped to handle it. A few years ago they gave a platform to a man who had been cleared of shaking his baby, he ran a media campaign to regain custody, he was successful and killed her a year later. Obviously this then gave this morning the opportunity to run a segment on how awful they felt for being duped. Childrens issues are not entertainment for adults and especially by a programme with such a proven record.

I totally agree ??????

mrsgreenfinger, there have been numerous threads on this forum discussing the question you raise. You can find them by asking in the search box above.

The issue of the age at which children begin to feel they’re in the wrong body so far as gender is concerned is contentious. For what it’s worth I find it difficult to believe an 18 month old is able to make that distinction. My now 6 year old grandson spent the period from 3 - 4 dressed as Moana, his favourite Disney character. He’s 6 now and as I’d expect developmentally curious about his gender on so many levels. He has twin uncles, one heterosexual, married with a child. The other twin is gay, married with a child.
My 2 year old grandson loves princesses, loves frozen and wears his 3 year old (female) cousin’s Frozen frock.
None of this is unusual.
Going on the telly to enjoy your 15 minutes of fame whilst exploiting your 4 year old, that’s cruel and unusual. We know much more now about sexual preferences, gender issues than we did 50 years ago. Lets celebrate that and continue to learn, without exploiting our children

Alergris and on the other hand the boy antiques ‘expert’ whose name totally escapes me and who monica also referred to, is now a woman and had a completely messed up mental health adult life appearing on various TV shows in various stages of breakdowns
Let a child progress which ever way they want without making any issues about it when he or she reaches puberty is the time to see if help and support is needed
One of my granddaughters a real boyish kid played football in a mixed team played as hard as a man, went into boxing built like a boy, scrape her hair back, had no interest in girly things but after puberty has become a complete girl and a real beauty complete with makeup and fantastic hair I wish I could show you a before and after photo ?

I do wonder why we are hearing so much about transgender, is this something that has always been there and swept under the carpet like being gay or are our young people being feed information from the internet? I really don't know, what do other Gransnetters think?

Telling a child they are transgender, instead of just accepting them as the girl/boy they are with their own likes and dislikes, makes it much more likely that the child will grow to believe they need to transition.

One thing is being transgender and an additional one is to transition, to my understanding.

4 years old is too young for the parents to decide for the child. By all means allow the heshe to dress, play and act as whichever gender they currently prefer. I have seen children reach teens, who remained the gender they chose, reverted to the gender they appeared at birth, or decided they were gay or lesbian.
I have big concerns with the drugs given to children, too young to understand the full effects, which have irreversible effects. I have even bigger concerns with some parents’ need to demonstrate that they are ‘different’ and even to take that as far as taking an 11 boy abroad to be operated on.

Sorry, completely off topic, but relevant to the way parents treat their children, I suppose.

Maths prodigy Ruth Lawrence is now a mother of 4, a maths professor teaching at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. No evidence of tears or unhappy adults.

Shelf life

So much misinformation in this thread, it is so sad

Many years ago a work colleague told me that his friend and neighbour had a child, who was at birth, medically neither fully male nor female. The child was given a gender neutral name (F,,,,) and was a happy wee soul, until.......

At five there was a legal requirement to attend school. this brought up all sorts of problems re uniform, changing rooms/toilets classes i.e. PE where the children were split boys/girls. The family, who were 'comfortably off' but not rich had no choice but to pay for a private tutor and F was deprived of the opportunity to mix with other children of the same age.

Shortly after I left work to have my first DD, so have no information as to what happened next, but have always wondered what became of F, eg pressured to have surgery to become 100% male or female, had own choice to live as one or the other? I cannot believe that there was a good outcome from society's insistence that people have to be one or the other. Surely, being a human is the important category we all belong to. Gender, race, age, status, IQ are man made divisions.

Iam64

This ‘interview’ is my first (and last ) experience of the Good Morning programme.

Why do these parents think it’s ok to go on this programme to discuss their child in this way? The child isn’t able to give informed consent.

I'm not sure why these parents went on TV. The parents I know just wanted it kept as normal as possible and unsensational.

I am always uncomfortable with parents who like to parade anything unusual about their children in the media as if they were performing seals.

Strikes me the parents are attention seeking.

I agree absolutely and with any similar posts.

There appears to be confusion here . A boy wanting to dress as a girl is not a sign of being gay ! Or a girl dressing as a boy for that matter. If a child is gay he / she will know probably before puberty. A gay man / may or may not be effeminate. As with most things in life we cannot assume or generalize. People are who they are whether gay , straight , transgender , whatever !!!!! Times are changing thank goodness , still room for improvement - but getting there !

The child is 4 years old, has school ahead of him/her , so wrong of the parents , so very, very wrong

I am always uncomfortable with parents who like to parade anything unusual about their children in the media as if they were performing seals.

I often think it is more about the parents than the children. Do you remember Ruth Lawrence the girl with exceptional mathematical ability and there was a boy who was a precocious antiques expert? It almost always ends in tears and a child that grows up into an unhappy adult.

The only reason that a 2 year old child would claim to be a girl/boy, when they are not, is that adults have told them certain things are for girls/boys.
Sorry this just isn't true. The parents I know are pretty unconventional and don't behave in stereotypical ways. Their child consistently insisted that she was a boy and is now always referred to as he. His sister is completely happy being a girl. I don't think this happens often but it does happen.
I'm not sure why these parents went on TV. The parents I know just wanted it kept as normal as possible and unsensational.

Aggie I totally agree that there are biologically different bodies and I think pretending there are not is ridiculous, but as to how someone chooses to dress, name themselves or do anything else in life, it is as fluid as they choose to make it.

We have some lovely photos of DGS dressing as a fairy when he was small, he is angelically fair and he looked lovely. Biologicaly he is male and nothing can change that and he dresses differently now.

Franbern ; I have noted your reply and I am not homophobic
to gays/lesbians, I am rushing out to an appointment but will let you have a better reply some time later.

3nanny6 Are you saying that you would be unhappy if your gson grew up and was gay? If so why?

Dressing up is such a wonderful part of childhood, and many children will dress up in heroes/heroines costumes regardless of their own gender. And that is so good.

People who are gay can have as many choices of careers/jobs as those who are not gay. They can have relationships and get married, and have their own families.

In some Societies in the past homesexual love was considered the highest form of love, with that between a man and a woman only necesary for getting babies.

There are groups run by local LBGT+ Societies for family members like yourself to attend and discuss your fears.

One of my GC (A boy) who is almost 4 years, often goes into the wash basket and finds himself either a dress or top and skirt that belongs to one of his sisters and will get dressed in it.
I have seen him in a dress and he also will put on a pink hat and TBH you would think he was a girl. I have once or twice said to him where are your other clothes because you are a boy, my daughter says leave him alone he is only playing.
Okay I do not say anything else as I would be told it is not up for discussion. Only about 2 months ago my daughter bought him a doll from that production called Frozen telling me he likes the doll and he wanted it. The thought has crossed my mind that maybe he could be gay when he is older, although I do not give it too much thought as he is still so young.
I did mention to my other daughter about him dressing in the girls clothes which she knew about anyway. I said he may grow up to be gay.
"Her reply was if he is gay he may want to be a drag queen and they get good pay for doing that" I was appalled at her saying that and now I will not even bring the subject up as both daughters think it is all okay.

timetogo2016

Oh god not again.

Why not again?

No-one forced you to read the thread, or to post.

Our two year old GC is adamant they are four.

Oh god not again.

Why are so many people so confused by stereotypes?

By all means allow a child to wear what they want, have short or long hair, play with what they want etc.
None of that means that they are the opposite sex.

The only reason that a 2 year old child would claim to be a girl/boy, when they are not, is that adults have told them certain things are for girls/boys.

This mother even says that they gave the child the choice of stereotyped 'girl' clothes and 'boy' clothes, and felt the choice of clothing confirmed the child really is a boy.