To think people are being a bit harsh?

[AJGiveMeSomeSpeed]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/family-mum-daddy-dad-mummy-10978802

This is an article in today's mirror that came up in my twitter feed and every single comment is against them so far. I don't agree with forcing your ideals on a child but surely their friends and family would have said something if this is so wrong?

If they are gender fluid why are they identifying as 'mum' and 'dad' rather than as 'parent'?

"He loves Barbie dolls, dressing up and fairies – but he also likes toys considered as boys’, such as cars."
From the article.

So in other words StarCloud is a normal bloody kid whose parents are trying to make out is a special snowflake for attention. Just let kids be kids and play with what they want without all this gender fluid bollocks.

With a name straight out of a line up for the My Little Pony Grand National, I think gender neutrality is going to be the least of his/her/their/zir problems.

I'd have the child taken into care just for them naming it 'Star Cloud'.

I don't think that's his real name. They probably changed it so he won't get picked on at school

They've chosen a stupid name. But letting your child pick their clothing and letting them play with all kinds of toys is just normal, isn't it?

I totally agree Geillis

I'm starting to get so fucked off at this "we are so different because we let our boy play with dolls" pish.

It's not gender fluidity it's common ducking sense. Likewise girls playing with cars or whatever.

The worlds losing the plot and I'm in a rangy Sunday morning mood. I'll go have a shower to spare you all.

My little girl can wear whatever she wants as long as its seasonably appropriate and can play with any toys she wants within budget constraints.

The line that struck me in the article is when the journalist asked if he was a boy or girl and he responded 'boy'. His parents then said 'or are you just a person?' And he changed his answer.

He clearly identified as a boy and they are encouraging the neutral position.

I think that is as potentially damaging as refusing to recognise that your child feels they are the wrong gender.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the way they're bringing him up in terms of being free to explore. But I do have a problem with them not allowing him to call himself a boy, if that's what he wants to identify as instead of "a person". Some children are gender fluid by nature, you can't force it on them. He can still call himself a boy and explore in the same way he is doing now.
Wouldn't go so far as to call it child abuse, but I do see where the trans* commentor on the article is coming from re how the child identifies himself, and possibly feeling like there's something wrong with being a boy.

I hate the need for the gender fluid label. Isn't letting a child chose to play with whatever they like just letting the child be a child? Don't most parents do that anyway? And at 4 ime most children do just play with whichever toy they like. Some have preferences, but many just like a mix.

Long hair on a boy isn't that unusual at all, especially at that age.

Seems to me that they are just trying to push their own ideals into the child. Like where he answers that he is a boy, one parent then suggests he is neither, just a person. Surely he can decide for himself?!

Harsh comments would be totally justified. That poor boy. Interesting the transgender teenager at the end of the article even said this upbringing is abusive

Yet more attention seeking idiots using their child to get into newspapers to talk about their genitals.

Absolute tits, the pair of them.

Poor kid. They have set him up for a lifetime of teasing and not fitting in, by giving him that ridiculous name. He will always be on the fringes of society thanks to them. They are not thinking about their child, they are thinking about themselves and using him to make a political statement.

I have mixed feelings over it because, if the child is happy, then it's not an issue until outside influences make it one.

I tried to allow my DSs to play with what they want, wear what they want etc. - and DS1 was a bit gender-neutral about things, but DS2 - dear god, when he was THREE he started banging on about how he "only likes boys' stuff, he doesn't like girls' stuff". NO IDEA where he got it from, because DS1 isn't like that and I've never heard DH say anything that would suggest there is anything wrong with "girls' stuff" but there it is and there it stays.

So Star might be happy to be gender fluid, or he might have his own ideas about it fairly rapidly and go his own way. So long as he's not pressured to do things he doesn't want to, then it's not really a problem, is it.

I only got as far as "Star Cloud is free to play with dolls" before giving up on reading the article.

So, free to play with dolls, just like virtually every other boy or girl in the country.

Such a lot of nonsense about nothing. He's a normal child, not made of special unicorn sparkles or whatever. I only have two concerns 1: his long hair will need to be tied back at school to avoid nits, just like every other child with long hair. 2: His name is absolutely ridiculous.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with it. It's all sorts of messed up. They're bringing him up as gender neutral but still refer to him as a He.
They still refer to themselves as mum and dad.

It just seems quite sad that this boy is being told, well you aren't boy- you are human but then call him he/son. Then they ask him to call them Mum/Dad.

This all seems like a complete headfuck for the poor kid.

I don't think that's his real name. They probably changed it so he won't get picked on at school

I don't think so. It says in the article that because of his name, he likes clothes with stars and things on them. If you are changing the child's name for the purpose of the article and because you are worried about teasing, surely you don't use StarCloud and then show numerous pictures of the child. Poor kid.

Fair point @Papafran I was just thinking it might be a nickname. My son hardly ever gets called his real name!

Papa fran; I think it was a joke!

The paper seems very keen that this "sparks a debate" as they have mentioned that phrase a couple of times.

Personally I think the person who spoke the most sense was the transgender person they quoted at the end.

"Some people assume I would agree with gender fluidity but I think what the parents are doing amounts to abuse. It is very confusing for a child to be told they are neither a boy nor a girl.

If your baby is born a boy but you’re telling him he’s gender fluid you risk making him think there is something wrong with being a boy or with being a girl.

You know if you are born female or male. Every child should know that. I certainly knew.

If you come to the realisation on your own that you’re transgender and you want to transition then parents should be supportive.

But to bring a child up as gender fluid just because of your own gender issues is selfish.

It’s one thing to be liberal and to let your child be themselves if they say they feel in the wrong body, but you’re confusing your child by suggesting that it’s normal for gender to be a choice."

I think this, from a fifteen year old, is very wise.

In a way, they've done exactly what they are critical about. They've already decided who their child is and again they've made it all about clothes, colours, dolls, and toy cars.

LOL at "With a name straight out of a line up for the My Little Pony Grand National..."

I think most ordinary parents are happy for their children to play with whatever toys they want. It's hardly a big deal.

The pair of them do seem to be massively attention-seeking.

He clearly identified as a boy

No. He IS a boy. A male. Who will grow up into a man.

Most of us who have boys have pictures of them as toddlers wearing their sister's Disney princess dress or constructing an elaborate game with My Little Pony at playgroup. Similarly, I have pictures of my toddler daughter dressed in camo clothing, playing football and racing cars around. There are no "boys" toys and "girls" toys, there are just toys and just kids.

The adults in thsi family clearly have some serious issues going on in their own lives and their dysfunction is being played out through their poor, poor child who stands little to no chance of being allwoed to grow up well-adjusted.

They are free to live their lives as they chose - good luck to them.

But yawn and double-yawn to use a vanishingly uncommon set-up to 'spark debate' when really they need to sell papers/get more clicks.

He is a boy,
He likes what is defined 'girl' things.

Surely, we should endeavour to let kids be kids and toys be toys, have less gender stereotyping than making things more complicated than they needs to be.

FFS.