Can a five-year-old know if they're gay?

[DorothyLNaySayers]

Yesterday my five-year-old asked me "Can girls like girls?" which I thought was a bit odd since she's already "best friends" with two girls. Obviously, I assured her they can, and girls can like boys and boys can like boys etc. But I couldn't get her to explain why she asked the question.

Might she be questioning if she's gay, or is this just a typical off-the-wall five-year-old question? I'm not at all bothered either way, just really curious.

I don't think we've ever really talked to her about romantic relationships or marriage etc, but I have described her Dad/my DP as my "best friend".

One of my sons wanted to marry his Teddy bear.

at 5 I felt obsessed with my female teachers. hated boy, and my parents / other adults would always make those gross comments like boys chasing u because they like u, or one day when you're married etc. I remember thinking UGH no I hope its a girl instead!
i did turn out gay so who knows.. seemed to be right for me.

@HumunaHey I can't pinpoint an exact thing, but there were odd moments that dropped huge clues, such as mannerisms and things he showed interest in. Like I said, I grew up with a gay sibling so I guess I knew some of the signs. It didn't bother me because I knew he would grow up into a different world to the one I did. The people it does bother are the bigoted arseholes who aren't worth worrying about.
Sexuality doesn't come into it when you want your child to be happy

My children have asked this at various points i think its more a case of feeling out how the world works .
My 5 year old daughter wants to marry me so we can be together always i just dont think she has any concept of sexuality yet .

I think it's a normal question for a 5yo. I remember my eldest asking the same at the same age.

None of her friends have gay parents, she only watched CBeebies, and she wouldn't notice anything like that at the school gate.

She then decided she wanted to marry her best friend (a girl). She's now 12, and probably straight.

@TheCreamCaker

Of course a 5-year-old can't "know that they're gay". At 5, they're playing with Lego and dolls, etc. They don't know about sexual attraction or adult relationships. My 10-year-old GD is only just being taught at school about such things

They do know that people partner up when they are older, though, and it's usually male and female. They might know it doesn't have to be that way. My grandson discovered, age 5, that he could marry a boy because gay marriage was in the news. Age 10 he's still not interested either way.

As an early years teacher of over 30 years I have known children who I predicted, correctly, would turn out to be gay. I knew before they did.

OP, your daughter is just asking a question so give her a straight answer. It doesn't necessarily mean anything.