Child-Raising Train Wreck In Progress

So, over on thefrisky, a site I usually avoid because pretty much anything you read there is guaranteed to be hip, vapid and leftist, there's an article up:

Mommie Dearest: Let’s Talk About The Difference Between ‘Sex’ & ‘Gender’

Need I point out the irony of calling a column discussing parenting issues "Mommie Dearest?"

Anyway, the author spends the majority of the article whining about people asking the baby's gender (Heh, I'm deliberately using the term wrong just to piss off anyone who actually cares). Then goes on to complain about people pointing out her clothing choices for her children.

This seemed odd to me, because I've raised five kids and I don't think anyone has ever mentioned that it was odd to me that one of my little boys was wearing yellow or pink or a girl was wearing blue or whatever -- and believe me it happened, because A) We cloth our kids almost completely from the thrift store until they reach an age when they're not growing out of everything every five minutes and B) I am utterly haphazard about dressing my kids. Sure, honey, you can wear your princess dress and rain boots to the grocery store on a sunny day in July. Whatever.

Then, I reached this part:

What I can’t stand, though, is when people confuse “sex” and “gender” – as in “We found out the baby’s gender!” or hosting “gender reveal parties.” It may sound nit-picky, but to someone who’s son — now six-and-a-half — is constantly told that he “looks like a girl” because he dares to step outside these traditional gender norms, it’s a pretty big deal.

Oh, good lord, Mommie Dearest indeed. I see years of therapy in this poor kid's future, because his Mommie is using him as a tool to further her ideology. Seriously. Six-year-old kids have no sense. If your boy wants to go to school with pink ribbons in his hair or baby-doll t-shirts, you just tell him no. Because you're the adult and that's what you do if you want to try to help your kid have a pleasant school experience and not get mercilessly teased. You stick him in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt with a currently-popular boys-oriented logo and you don't worry about changing the world through your kid's gender expression!

Six-year-olds don't "dare to step outside these traditional gender norms." They carry their home experience to school. And this heinous bitch has set her little boy up for 13+ years of torment at the hands of gender-normative neanderthals. Way to use your kid to make a point, bitch.

Update: I feel like I need to clarify the apparent contradiction between my stated haphazard approach to dressing my kids and my criticism of her for her clothing choices. There's one key thing that I didn't explain: I'm haphazard when they're around the house or going to be going out just with me, or someplace where they'll probably only interact with adults in a casual fashion. All that goes right out the window in two situations.

First, formal situations. Fortunately we don't do a lot of these, but I like my kids to look like decent little pre-adults if they're in a place or situation where you're supposed to show some respect in your mode of dress (weddings, funerals, fancy restaurants, etc.).

Second, and most important, anytime they're going to be around a lot of strange kids. Kids are the most vicious, feral creatures on the planet. Especially in packs. You don't toss your beloved in the middle of them with a big "Kick Me" sign on his or her back.