My thoughts:
As transgenderism and gender fluidity become more common, talked about, and understood, questions like this are common. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that your child is transgender simply because he likes to wear dresses from time to time. But in this case, I don’t think transgender identity is what we’re talking about.
Gender and your child
A child’s gender is different from a child’s sex. Sex is what is assigned at birth based on genitalia. Gender is an internal sense of being male, female, neither or both. Many children will identify their own gender by age three. This doesn’t mean they feel they are that gender. They draw these conclusions based on societal clues about what makes a girl a girl and a boy a boy. Many children will explore expressions of their opposite gender. For example, your son likes to try on dresses and play with your makeup. Some girls might like urinating standing up or wearing boy underwear.
All of this is normal and developmental. It’s tempting to jump to conclusions about our children who are expressing a different gender, but if a child is truly transgender, his or her experience will be different.
