Follow on from "Would You"

[Nigella]

Following on from this thread (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75027) and so as not to hijack it

The overall majority here says they wouldn't dress in front of their kids.

Well lets try another question, if not you then who?

There are a lot of us out and about in the "big wide world". We do get noticed, so how do you explain that "Bloke in a dress?"

Pot? Kettle? Black?

[MsToriJones]

Following on from this thread (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75027) and so as not to hijack it

The overall majority here says they wouldn't dress in front of their kids.

Well lets try another question, if not you then who?

There are a lot of us out and about in the "big wide world". We do get noticed, so how do you explain that "Bloke in a dress?"

Pot? Kettle? Black?

We have a guy around Raleigh who dresses 5 o'clock shadow and all and first time we saw him, the youngest said "hey is that a guy in a dress?" I told him it was, he asked "why is he wearing a dress and dressed up like a lady" my reply "this is what makes him happy. he is not hurting others, he is dressed nice and he seems to be polite to others. it is ok for him to do this as long as he doesn't think that YOU should do it. Kind of like you playing those games, doesn't hurt others and it makes you happy, even when some others think that it is stupid". He nodded and said "well it could be worse, he could be running around playing with himself or naked" and we went on about our business. We have seen him several times since and my step son doesn't give him/her a second look.

[NatalieBliss]

The main reason I wouldn't do it is sometimes little kids don't understand stuff that shouldn't be said in public. This could lead to being outed. Can't really blame the kid, I wish I was still unaware humanity can be less the respectful.

I don't have kids, but if I was out and about with my niece and nephew (8 and 4 respectively) I would explain that sometimes men like to wear things usually worn by woman and the opposite is also true. Oddly enough over Christmas my niece saw a shirt with a graphic on it that had very modest pin-up style woman on it. She thought it was silly that a boy would want to wear a shirt with something "girlie" on it. I really couldn't explain it to her in a way I thought would make sense and quite frankly be appropriate to tell an eight year old.

I do think it can be healthy for kids to understand that traditional gender roles work for some, but don't work for others. That sure would have made the early part of my life easier. Who knows maybe when I got little rugrats running around I'll be chasing them in a skirt and ballet flats.... stranger things have happened. :D

[Kari Lynn Franks]

My daughter is 21.She was raised knowing all about my dressing.she is a very well rounded young lady she has some gay friends and then there is me she has bought me jewlry clothes and we aven share them, i didnt dress up in front of her friends untill her best friend showed up without calling first its really amazing how accepting teenagers are these days she thought it was great that i didntlet anyone tell me what i could and couldnt wear my daughter was kinda relieved that she didnt have to hide the fact that she encouraged me to be who i am without having to be scared.

[Nicole Erin]

This has never really come up.
I don't think my son would care either way.
He might see a guy in a dress and not think about it even if he knew it was a guy in drag.

If he did ask, yeah I would probably just say "People dress how they want" My kid is just ont one to question why people are the way they are.

The only thing my kid laughs at in the way of people's dressing is when we see some guy with his pants falling off. That is cause I laugh at it, even if it is one of my friends. I often say to a friend at work, "Nate, those capris look good" :heehee:

[shirley1]

it seems to me part of the problem is the way we bring up kids - i dont have kids and probably never will ! i just hate this steriotypical world we live in today - boys encouraged to be into male things - girls vise versa ! pinks for girls - no colour for boys - girls can play with cars boys toys - no not boys it will make them turn out to be sissies gay ect - its pathetic and until the balance is addressed nothing will change - why is their no forum for women that enjoy cding to male form like this - maybe there is and i just dont know or even care about it but we are all a product of our upbringing thats one thing i do know for sure and it seems to me the way people bring their kids up is a big part of why society is the way it is !

question - is it men or women that want their sons to be masculine or both !

question - i have a neice my sister and brother in law arnt even conventional themselves but they still dress my neice as girly as possible ! what is it that makes people want to divide the genders - i just dont understand that !

[serinalynn]

I have crossdressed in front of my kids who are 26 and 23 now for about 15 years now. so its nothing new to them. Many times in the last few years i have even worn a bra under my guy polo shirts then one time my wife stated that my bra straps were showing. I had to make some changes in the clothing I wore over my bra. But it hasn't stoped me from wearing a bra now under womens tops and not under guy shirts.

Yeah women get to wear all the fun clothes , but, I have some fun womens clothes that I like wearing. My Daughter (23)and I had lunch a couple summers ago at a Red Lobster restaurant, when i inadvertantly let the tops of my bra cups show, the waitress, and two ladies in different booths had a jaw dropping experience looking at my bra cups. I just let them look and neither the waitress or the two ladies said anything. That was funand a priceless experience.

[secretlypsycho]

There are a lot of us out and about in the "big wide world". We do get noticed, so how do you explain that "Bloke in a dress?"

Pot? Kettle? Black?


Well you obviously don't live where we do I guess.... because it sure isn't something you see on the streets round here.

And in our case, this isn't something that is public knowledge, or even within our friends & family, it is something that only the two of us, as a married couple, know about. As the wife of a crossdresser, it can - at times - be hard enough for me to deal with and get my head around (and I am fairly accepting after almost 10 years of knowing about this), why on earth would I want to confuse my children with that? Never mind run the risk of them outing my husband and the risks (to his personal safety, the safety of our family and the survival of our business which is our sole family income). And I would not want my children to grow up with the pressure of keeping a secret. They don't need that. They deserve to be kids, without a care in the world and that's that.

That's not to say that we are not doing our bit to bring our children up to be open minded and accepting of other people, because we certainly are striving to do so. We also do not buy into gender stereotypes - our boys have dolls, prams, kitchen role play toys, vacuums, many toys that are deemed "girls toys", not because we're on any personal crusade, but because that is what they choose to play with. People have commented on that from time to time - and are told that I intend for my boys to be well trained by the time they leave home lol :p

I know there are those who would say that my husband should be "out there" and making his crossdressing known in an attempt to make it more acceptable, more mainstream. But we are not on a mission to change the world. We are on a mission to live and be happy in the world that we do live in, including all of its faults & limitations, and to raise our children to be happy, well-rounded individuals. And just because we choose not to share this with them at this stage (they are only little at this point in time, who knows what we will decide when they're older) does not mean we are hypocrites. It just means we're doing what we feel is in the best interests of our family as a whole.

[Celeste]

I was confronted by my 12 year old daughter after she saw a CD in the doctors office with her Grandmother.She caught me off guard with the question of why would someone want to do that.I just told her that"some people are born with body's that aren't quite right for them and they are happier dressing more the way they feel right.She then said, "but god doesn't make mistakes right".Then I told her that many are born with health problems that need to be fixed by doctors so they can grow up and be happy.She said it was scary for her.There's no reason to scared ,I said.I ended it with try to see people for who they are inside not outside.She's a real thinker and never forgets anything you tell her.I am blessed to have her.

[JoAnnDallas]

One day I went to Payless dressed. I was trying on some shoes for a new outfit I had bought, when this little girl walks up to me. She was about 4-5 yrs old. She looked at me and said "Hello". I looked at her and said "Hello". She asked what I was doing, I told her I was trying on shoes. About this time I heard her mother say, "Honey leave the nice lady alone and come back over here". The little girl said "Bye". I siad, "Bye" and she walked back over to her mother. Then her mother surpised me. She said, "I hope my daugher was not bothering you". I said, "Not at all, she is very sweet". The lady just smiled at me and that was it. I don't know if the lady read me or not, but I was all smiles after that. I spent another good 20 minutes in the store before I checked out. As I was leaving I saw the little girl looking at me. I waved and mouthed "Bye". She smiled and waved back.

[obsessedwithpantyhose]

the world is a great big wide open enviroment for the little ones to discover :D

every day is a new day of learning for them,,,i know i seen it in my sons eyes as he was growing....was realy hard gettin that boy to sleep :D

[JoAnnDallas]

My older sister is a daycare worker. She takes care of 3-5 year olds. The things they have told her about their family like are at times shocking. Not to the young child but to my sister. LOL