There are plenty of parents who like to condescendingly point out that until you have kids, there's no way you can understand what it's like to be a parent. And, while this might be true to an extent, there are plenty of things so stupid they still warrant a bit of armchair quarterbacking from anyone with common sense. One recent example is a Toronto couple that has decided to conceal the sex of their baby as "a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become (a more progressive place?)..."

Refusing to bow down to societal standards dictating blue for boys and pink for girls, they've instead opted to let the child decide when it's ready to tell the world what it is. Oh yeah, and lest you think this might not be a bunch of hippie nonsense, the child's name is Storm.


For these parents, warping their child's sense of identity is nothing new. Their previous children, Jazz and Kio (also awesome names) are being taught to ignore gender roles and do what feels right for them. This would be an admirable lesson, if it wasn't ignoring the harsh reality that being different, especially when you're a kid, can be extremely difficult. The article goes on to point out that Jazz, a long haired five-year-old whose favorite color is pink, is frequently assumed to be a girl. Apparently this bothers him to the point where he doesn't want to go to school:


Not surprisingly, the kids are also being "unschooled." For anyone not familiar with unschooling (which would probably be most people), it's "an offshoot of home-schooling centred on the belief that learning should be driven by a child's curiosity. There are no report cards, no textbooks and no tests. For unschoolers, learning is about exploring and asking questions." In short, it's self-directed learning for kids who haven't yet acquired a solid foundation of knowledge.

The kids decide what they want to do, and according to the article, "They decide if they want to squish through the mud, chase garter snakes in the park or bake cupcakes." All valuable lessons no doubt...


Again, as someone who isn't a parent, it's difficult to judge the decisions of others. However, for anyone who's been a kid, it's easy to pick apart the problems with being raised in isolation of reality. Sooner or later, Jazz, Kio, and Storm are going to be faced with a world in which sex and gender actually do matter, and Jazz is already clearly uncomfortable with the way he's being perceived by others.

Even if refusing to tell anyone the sex of your child is sending a positive message about combating negative gender stereotypes - and that's a huge "if" - there's also something to be said for raising your children to be well-adjusted, confident members of society. And these parents probably aren't doing their kids any favors in that regard.

Do you think parents should ignore their child’s sex?