Traditional men and women, how would you deal with a girlish son ?

Question

This question follows another one from Sam about tomboyish daughters. I would like to see if your answers in general are very similar or very different if the question is about sons.

To give a short explaination for "girlish son":

He may like to play will dolls and with girls preferably, and reject toys, plays and activities which are typical for boys. He may want to have long hair, to wear earrings or eyeliner, paint his nails or may even ask for skirts and dresses to wear (at home).

Altogether: like a tomboyish girl, only the other way round.

Answer 1

If it were my child, I know I would love him all the same. However, since society frowns upon it, I would probably just explain to him that it's a cruel world, and those things may be better left at home. as long as no one beat him up or teased him (impossible in today's world) I would actually support him in it, as long as he developed healthily. g*y or just effeminate, he'd still be my boy! This just makes me think of the SNL sketch with the effeminate married guy, I know that's bad, but it just does.

Answer 2

I personally could not handle the stigma I would die with embarrassment, however I would do my best and seek professional help in order to turn him around, when he  get's older and cannot conform my front door is open.

Answer 3

I have a cousin when he was young he, had us a bit concerned,  he had a little girlish way about him,  he would play with dolls,  he was very artistic,so and would draw these little women with beautiful dresses that he designed, i am telling you he was about 7 or there abouts,  we never tried to give much attention to it, like take away the dolls or  stoped him from his drawings, we just let him be, and today he grew all of the out, he is a gentleman, still very much into style, for himself and his fiancee'.  Sometime they do grow it out, and we should not get too concerned with it.

Answer 4

kick his azz

Answer 5

Love and accept him for who he is.

i liked playing with gi joes...and transformers along with barbie and cricket...

sure i dressed in girl clothes as a kid..thats all that was bought for me...but i was so rough on clothes, i could literally take a good clean brand new outfit and brand new shoes and come home with holes in them, dirt on them and make the shoes look like i had already owned them for a month....all in one day.

I got in trouble alot for that...but its just how i was..

Answer 6

I would let him be, but I will admit that I would suspect he might g*y.

I hate to say it, but that's the first thing that came in my mind.

Although, he's my kid and I need to love him unconditionally.

If he really does turn out to be g*y, I don't mind.

Answer 7

my male cousin used to play with super-hero dolls before they were really fashionable but other than that .. he was a boyish boy ....

my youngest nephew though .. ( four yrs old ) likes to wear make-up and put on girls clothes... NOW while I wouldn't chastise him for it .. I certainly wouldn't encourage it like his mother does ( here Lil' Johnny PUT THIS SKIRT ON ... let the kid decide for pete's sake)

If I had a son that wanted to do the things you said.. I'd allow him at times.. and then would say OK let's play trucks today next time ..

I had a tomboyish girl ... she played with cars and trucks and only played with her barbies when she was pretending our cat was a BIG JUNGLE CAT and the cat would drag barbie off...but she's very much a girl now .. though not obsessed with fashion trends or make-up.

Answer 8

Long hair is ok.. but yea I don't know what I'd do lol If I couldn't encourage him to do typical boy things then I might just have to deprive him of his dolls lol

Answer 9

Love him; though I really don't have to; no one is obligated to love.

Answer 10

Just let him be. Making a big song and dance about what kids want to do when they are tiny only makes them anxious.

Lots of boys in cultures other thyan 'western' do all those things ~ have long hair, paint their faces and nails, wear colourful skirts ~ and they're just fine.

There's no reason your son won't be fine, too. He'll probably grow out of it when he discovers PlayStation 3 and the 'boyish' heroes who love to hunt and kill, or maybe he won't.

Either way, so what?

Cheers :-)

Answer 11

I would have a probelm with him wearing dresses or skirts. I already let my (8yo) son paint his toenails if he wants to after watching me do mine, and there are times I wonder what may become of him in the future.....but I hope that no matter what, I will love and support him no matter what, especially if it is only about superficial, non-permanent things like clothing or taste in jewelry, etc.

I am sure I will be uncomfortable if he wants to wear eyeliner, etc....but that will be a normal teenage thing, and I hope I have the wisdom then to know that the bigger fuss I make, the more entrenched in it he will get. I also hope that I can remember how angry I used to get at my Mom for not trusting me, when I was the "good girl" of my little group, despite her fears, my bad mouth, my cigarettes, and my ratted hair.....in retrospect, even she will say, now, that the smoking was the only thing she really shouldve raised a ruckus about.....the rest is only temporary.

Answer 12

Love him anyway, after all he's still your son