July 5, 2022

How to Talk to Our Kids About Gender Identities

How to Talk to Our Kids About Gender Identities

If only we could hand our daughter a Tonka truck or our son a doll and consider ourselves parents of the year for defying gender stereotypes. Turns out it’s a little more complicated when it comes to discussing gender identity with our little ones.

A child begins to have an innate sense of their gender between ages 3 and 5. It may be daunting to help kids understand something as complex as gender identity as such a young age, but being a safe space for kids to ask questions and share observations is a good place to start.

In this episode, Molly and Blaire discuss:

  • How to observe your own feelings and judgements about gender
  • How to start the conversation about gender with your child
  • How to detect when your child is telling you about their own gender


Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn

Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman

Darling Days by iO Tillett Wright

Find your local PFLAG group: https://pflag.org/

Azeen Ghorayshi for The New York Times: "Report Reveals Sharp Rise in Transgender Young People in the U.S."

plannedparenthood.com: "How do I talk with my preschooler about identity?"

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: "When Do Children Develop Their Gender Identity?"

World Health Organization: Gender and Health


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