What would you do if your child acted like the other gender?

[serephim01]

In all seriousness, if my child was ambiguously gendered I'd love them, support them, do my best to prepare them for the inevitable suckiness of their life and get ready to be a repeat offender as I beat the ever-living snot out of anyone who harassed my child.

The world needs more parents like you and my Mom. Far too often transgendered children, gay lesbian or anyone who is out of the "norm" are abandoned by their parents. The link in my sig is evidence of that sad fact.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

It seems to me that the right thing to do, at least in the case of a 17 month old, is let the matter be. It is no cause for concern at that point. Many children, early in their development, identify with characteristics of the 'other' gender, and sometimes this sticks with them throughout their life, and sometimes it does not. Embarrassingly, as a toddler, I used to play with dolls. That doesn't mean I turned out 'feminine', because I obviously stopped playing with dolls. My parents weren't alarmed by the behaviour, and certainly not concerned enough to take me a clinical psychologist. Interestingly though, while my doll-playing behaviour was tolerated even by the more masculine members of the family, the one thing my superstitious grandmother wouldn't tolerate is me using my left hand to write and draw. 'He can play with dolls as much as he wants... but gosh darn-it I'm not gonna have a grandson who is sinistral.'