Identity crisis

My son is 6 years old and keeps saying that he wants to be a girl – and this has being going on since he turned 3 years old. He has always loved playing with girls’ toys and loves dressing up as a girl and one day he turned round and said: “Mummy, can I be a girl when I’m bigger?” I have no issue with this as I understand him going through some identity crisis but I’m just scared about what other people will think and how they will treat him.

Ans: please do not worry about society as there will always be those people in life who have an opinion on everything. If they object to your son dressing as a girl, it’s their issue to deal with. You need to focus on what makes your son happy and that will make you happy. If he wants to put on a dress on for a kids’ party or be a witch at Halloween, let him. Maybe at 6 years old he does not know what he wants in the long term, but right now he wants to wear a dress. Don’t be hung up on gender-specific toys  as it may just be a phase of wanting to play with them. Over the next few years, it will be a case of you allowing your son to express himself and seeing where it leads. If he feels strongly that he’s in the wrong body, then you’ll need to seek professional help and handle the situation with sensitivity.