I'm pretty sure they're trying to not make a point they believe the child doesn't need to know -- they don't want their child bogged down with gender stereotypes before its gender even matters to the child.

They're doing a social experiment with their child as the guinea pig. I'm stunned that he or she (age 2-and-a-half) hasn't yet blurted out his or her sex hither and yon by now.

How do they keep him mum on the subject?

It's not like we're unaware of sexual stereotyping in our culture. It's been a hot topic for decades now, so these parents aren't exactly breaking new ground.

What's their point?

...how do they keep him -- or her -- mum on the subject?

"Pop's parents say that they will reveal the child's gender when Pop thinks it is time to do so."

when society sticks a gun in ITs hand and tells IT to go die on some faraway battlefield.

IT will know damn well what sex IT is when IT is told by society that only females have reproductive rights.

IT will know damn well what sex IT is when the condom breaks and IT is told to pay for the baby IT did not want, no choice, no freedoms.

Mum means not telling.

Is the kid spilling the beans? He or she is 2-and-a-half, for cryin' out loud.

The article says that.

Right. I can hear it now, from a little kid -- "Mummy, Daddy, I'm ready for the world to know my sex."

C'mon.

By the way, according to the article, everyone who has changed Pop's diaper knows already. What -- are they sworn to secrecy?

This is all very forced, creepy, and -- again -- very pretentious.

And then Bullshit - The Regurgitation will know whether or not to hate it.

I doubt it would be quite that formal, but children DO assert themselves at certain points developmentally... they want to brush their own teeth or put on their own shoes, etc.

And I imagine the list of diaper-changers is short and have agreed to keep the state of the child's genitals confidential (which doesn't seem so bad when its put that way...)

Sure its a little pretentious, so are parents who never EVER let their children watch television or wear synthetic fibers or eat fast food or refined grains or... or... or...

Does this child have playmates? With real names? And they don't have this artificial thing about their genitalia they have to keep secret?

(Secrecy is a manifestation of shame, by the way.)

You compare this to "parents who never EVER let their children watch television or wear synthetic fibers or eat fast food or refined grains."

Wow. A major part of a child's identity in the human family is in no way comparable to food choices or not getting to watch TV.

And I repeat -- dealing with sexual stereotypes in society is nothing new. Keeping a child's sex secret is certainly is nedw -- and bizarre.

Does this child have playmates? With real names? And they don't have this artificial thing about their genitalia they have to keep secret?

Does this child have playmates? With real names? And they don't have this artificial thing about their genitalia they have to keep secret?

Presumably,yes. And Pop is just the name for the article, presumably the child has some sort of unisex name along the lines of a Swedish 'Alex' or 'Chris'. And Pop DOESN'T have to keep Pop's gender secret, everybody ELSE does. As soon as Pop asserts a gender the gig is up.

(Secrecy is a manifestation of shame, by the way.)

Man, Christmas must have been a BITCH for you! (i.e. -- not ALL secrets are manifestations of shame.)

You compare this to "parents who never EVER let their children watch television or wear synthetic fibers or eat fast food or refined grains."

Wow. A major part of a child's identity in the human family is in no way comparable to food choices or not getting to watch TV.

I'd argue its even less. At whatever point the child choses to assert that identity s/he gets to. Parents rabidly cutting kids off from cultural norms for their entire childhoods can cause all sorts of alienation.

And I repeat -- dealing with sexual stereotypes in society is nothing new. Keeping a child's sex secret is certainly is nedw -- and bizarre.

Actually, dealing with sexual stereotypes (in any way other than embracing them whole-heartedly) IS relatively new. And keeping strangers from imposing their gender stereotypes on a small child might just be a good way to deal with it.

Really, this probably IS far more important to the adults around the world who are wringing their hands than to the actually child in question. "Pop" is a little kid who eats and plays and gets dirty and wears whatever s/he wants. When the time comes that s/he wants to publicly assert a gender s/he will. The only difference is that s/he won't have had three or so years of societal indoctrination telling him/her what s/he should like or want or be good at in order to be a good boy or girl.

Wow, once again you equate secrecy about an intrinsic part of a child's identity as a human being -- its sex -- with something as frivolous as secret Christmas presents.

As for preventing people from "imposing" their sexual sterotypes on a child -- please. Parents can't possibly monitor and control the words and actions of every person their children come in contact with. All parents can do is teach their kids their values and attitudes. Sometimes it takes, sometimes it doesn't.

Pop's parents believe that by creating this socially artificial environment for him/her, they'll end up with a happier, more independent child.

Theories come and go -- most are discarded, because no one really knows what will work with which child. They're all individuals.

Anyone who has raised a child, or been one, knows that gender identity is not imposed by the parents or by society, its inborn. The child will figure it out by age three easily. Not only that, but the child will notice that there are social and status differences between males and females in the world beyond their home, and those distinctions will shape the child's sense of self in the larger world as much, or more, as the parents' input. This couple is playing an ego game with their kid, and their feigned ignorance may cause confusion and ambivalence as (s)he realizes that they are being dishonest about the validity of her/his identity. Its not nice to play games with your childrens psyches, it might even be considered sadistic.