COLUMN: Down Home - Stop confusing our children

What can we do about these kids who are struggling to figure out whether they’re male or female. Do we really want to raise children in a gender-neutral society?

The differences between the two sexes are so ingrained into our brains I can see how there could be some confusion when the body says you’re a female, but your mind decides it wants to be a male. I’m in no way knocking the desire to switch genders, in fact, one of my longtime friends made that decision years ago.

During that decade, wanting to marry someone of the same sex was not legal or accepted. After having been married and having children, she could only find happiness with another woman. I didn’t question her decision but told her I’d stand by her no matter who she wanted to be, or to be with. I did stand by her at their “wedding.” I even wore a tuxedo, as she wanted to be the only person in the wedding party in a dress. That’s what true friends do, accept unconditionally. (FYI, 25 years later and they are still together and wearing a tuxedo felt like being in a heated straight jacket).

It's worrisome we’ve made it seem too normal to switch genders, and kids think perhaps they won’t fit in if they don’t question their sexuality. Being something other than what you were born to be has become so taboo some kids are now even thinking they might want to identify as an animal.

It’s bad enough we’re convincing kids they might be the wrong gender when a boy wants to play with a doll or a girl wants to play with a truck, but now we’re allowing them to think they’re animals.

I have seven grandchildren who are growing up in a society I don’t even recognize anymore. Maybe I’m still wound up from the Super Bowl halftime debacle, but for goodness sakes, what is happening. Are we really asking school teachers to encourage children not to use the pronouns (his or hers) and substitute with their instead. 

How can a child, who doesn’t even know how to balance a checkbook, drive a vehicle or make a meal, know what they want to be? They don’t even know what it means to be in a relationship, how can they decide they want to change genders? 

I would support any of my grandchildren should they decide to be in a same-sex relationship, but I would hope this decision is made when they’re an adult.

Hopefully the spring weather will get me off my soapbox.