High school would likely have been a struggle for him regardless. At least he has parents who are supportive. I don’t mean supportive of his choices, or his “identity”, but supportive in the sense that they have decided to make him feel loved, and validated, instead of shamed, and outcast.
What are the choices for a parent in this situation?
I let my daughter play with legos, but if I had a son I would be more hesitant to let him play with barbies, and wear dresses. There’s more stigma attached to boys playing with “girl” things than the opposite. So my choices come down to:
- Let my child be happy, and who he is;
- teach him that he cannot play with, or do, “girl” things;
- or find somewhere in the middle.
Any choice has consequences. Personally, my goal as a parent is to give my child the skills she/he needs to survive in this world.
If I have a boy that wants to play dress up, I say go for it. If he really wants to wear a dress in public, he’s going to be warned that people are going to react, and coached on how to respond.
Are this guy’s parenting choices going to pan out in the end? I don’t know. I’m sure he doesn’t either. But he, like any good parent, weighed out the pros/cons, and is doing what he thinks is best for his child.
