One Friday a few weeks ago, Alex dressed himself in a pink striped sundress over his jeans and t-shirt. As he was slipping his feet into his shoes, I broached the topic carefully.

“Are you sure you want to wear that?”

“Yeah,” he replied dismissively.

“O… Read full post »

Gender fluidity is a phenominally cramazing ("crazy" and "amazing") thing. Every so often when I start to feel like I’ve got a handle on what it all means, it is only precisely then—and not a moment sooner—that “Alex” (aka GirlyBoy) reminds us of his color/… Read full post »

Have you ever been gobsmacked by gratitude? You know, one of those moments when the lightbulb appears over your head and some kind of smoke screen clears and you suddenly take stock of everything wonderful that exists in your life? The kind of realization that brings you to your unreligious knees,… Read full post »

In response to the latest in the case of the 4 year old who was suspended for having hair covering his ears (yes, this is in OUR country!)...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/education/13hair.html?scp=1&sq=James%20C.%20McKinley%20Jr.%20A%20suburgan%20Dallas%20school&st=cse> Link to a… Read full post »

I should have listened to my gut telling me to let it go. “It’s not important in the bigger picture,” it said. “What he wears on picture day should be a reflection of who he is today.” “But no”, my brain rationalized, “Remember that god-awful flower pri… Read full post »

One of the fun aspects of any pregnancy is choosing what to name your child. The name you ultimately choose is most likely one that had bubbled to the top of a list of others that for one reason or another were eventually rejected. The name you finally arrive upon is… Read full post »

A few weeks ago, things came to a head in the sleep department. Only now that our life has somewhat stabilized have I found the time to write about how we finally resolved the cootie bed situation. There had been a “little” drama leading up to the pivotal moment that I… Read full post »

As I have mentioned in a few previous posts, GirlyBoy embodies all things musical. If he’s not sleeping or eating, he’s singing and dancing. It’s debatable that even when he’s semi-conscious, he’s got music on the mind and a song in his heart. And actually, come to thi… Read full post »

In early August, GirlyBoy and I flew to Denver for a long weekend to meet up with some family who was celebrating a marriage and birth of a child. A week before this, GirlyBoy celebrated his sixth birthday and received a Nintendo DS game system, which I was soon to find… Read full post »

In our town, pediatricians are slim pickins. Choices here include the regional member-only HMO, take-a-number clinics, and a few practitioners committed to the field due to a higher, more noble, calling. Of those in the last category, only two or three were under age 60 when we were shopping… Read full post »

When I learned I was pregnant with my first child, GirlyBoy, you could say I became a bit emotional and philisophical. About everything. Hormones made me find new meaning in the sun that shined and feeding the dog. Although I do not consider myself religious, I do believe in a higher… Read full post »

Ukraine should be ashamed of itself. The country has single-handedly stripped itself from any respect it may have ever deserved. By denying Sir Elton John and his partner the right to adopt an underprivileged boy who would otherwise be destined for a very hard life, Yuriy Pavlenko (Ukraine's Family,… Read full post »

When I'm tired and my defenses are down, I forget how to deal with GirlyBoy's anxiety attacks. Take tonight, for instance. .. (No really. Take it. Please?)

What a weekend. Can't say it was the most relaxing one, but we did get a lot done. BoyBoy (who just turned 3)… Read full post »

Phone Style

One of GirlyBoy’s long-time obsessions has been cell phones. For as long as I can remember, he has stopped at nothing to open-close-open-close them, press the key pads and feel the resistance meet his fingertips, tuck them into his pocket, (repeat 42 times), and spend hours at… Read full post »

In a daring and heartfelt gesture and testament of true friendship, Barry Delaney of Dundee, Scotland wore the lime green sundress they each had promised the other to wear to the funeral if killed in the line of duty.

^{Source: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/fxmqJgqa9Dw/Funeral+Held+Late+Privat}… Read full post »

When I began thinking about what to title my blog (and possibly the memoir for which I am collecting these thoughts), the first thing that came to mind was “GirlyBoy.” Mostly it was because it perfectly describes my six year old son. However, it could have also been in part for… Read full post »

At age of 3, GirlyBoy worshipped the Disney Princesses. His favorite was Cinderella (he said it was because she has blonde hair like his own), but really, he was starstuck by all of them. All the shimmering pink dresses, sparkly jewelry, long flowing hair… he adored it all. So much of… Read full post »

The thing that landed us a referral to the child psychiatrist was not the feminine behavior, perse. It was an off-handed comment to the pediatrician that GirlyBoy had been washing his hands to the point of being cracked, dried, and even bleeding. His constant talk of germs and the… Read full post »

In my humble opinion, the one voice that has gone utterly unrecognized in The Community is that of the girlyboy fathers. I often wonder about these men: who are they and where are they at in terms of acceptance of their child’s path? Do they unconditionally accept their sons… Read full post »

WARNING: This post contains completely subjective and cynical, albeit justified, commentary. If you don’t like it, then you know what to do…

By now, the world knows that the Duggars are at it again. They’re on number 19. Nineteen children, “Praise the Lord.” Where/… Read full post »

Shortly after May 28^th this year,  someone from the parent support listserv I belong to brought it to our attention that the morning program on KRXQ radio had aired some sound bytes that not only glorified intolerant viewpoints, but actually went so far as to condone abuse. Abuse to children, sp/… Read full post »

I am certain there are people who question my parenting style and those who suspect I am not hard enough on my kids. I can assure you that I am no pushover. I, like most children, thrive on structure and consistency. I have often been accused of not seeing “the grey… Read full post »

Is my child gay? Straight-but-effeminate? Transgendered? Is he behaving in this way to please me? Am I somehow encouraging him to act this way, that is to say, am *I* to blame for the situation we find ourselves in today? Is all of his anxiety, aggression, and confusion somehow brought on… Read full post »

I remember being a kid and suffering (like I'm sure everyone did at some point) cruel words spoken to me, and behind my back. By all accounts, I was a pretty "normal" kid. As I matured into a "normal" adult, I set my focus on establishing a "normal" job with a… Read full post »