Wow. That is an impressive bit of parenting. Congrats to you for making that a teaching moment and for explaining it so well.

I don't know that my kids notice differences that much, or that it occurs to them that the differences are something that should be questioned. Maybe I'm fooling myself with that belief.

I do often use the "sometimes" technique, and sometimes even just say, "well, this is how we do things in our family, but other families do things their own way."

 

I too use the usually/sometimes technique, though I never knew it was an explicit technique!

Although it wouldn't have helped much the other day when Jack asked if he'd be able to marry his brother someday. LOL!

 

Wow! I am filing this away in my head for when similar situations arise with my now only 6 mo old. I love the fluidity of the gender roles in the kids' play. Mommy uses the BBQ, while daddy cooks in the kitchen. Awesome.

 

I'm filing this away. I want Michael to grow up with the appreciation that people are different, and that is ok. What a great way to teach an important lesson.

 

I like the technique, I'll have to remember it for the future (for when my kid knows more words than "no" and "Hi"). I teach in NJ, and my district just caved into to a vocal and bigoted minority who insist that children shouldn't be taught that sometimes kids have "two mommies" or "two daddies". The video, "That's a Family" was in our health curriculum, and now apparently the very suggestion that same-sex parents exist is going to turn all our little 3rd graders gay.
I love that you're not presenting the world as black and white to your sons. I wish my school district had had the stones to do the same.

 

Yep, definitely going to use this technique some day. Of course, I'm not at all excited about talking to my son where the conversation includes the word vagina, but hopefully I'll say the right things!

 

I had a similar experience with my 6yo---we were reading something about how every child has a mommy and a daddy. My daughter interjected, "that isn't true! (soandso) has two daddies!". We are getting pretty close to explaining the whole 'sex' thing (so mature of me to referring to it as the 'sex thing'!), so I tried to explain how you need both mommy parts and daddy parts to create a baby. I think this was the 1st time she realized that you need a man to make a baby!

 

as a mommy with a son who has two mommies, thank you from the bottom of my queer little heart!

 

That's great. I'm reading a new book now by my friend Logan Levkoff, who is a sexuality educator. It's about how to talk to your kids about sexuality, and is called "Third Base Ain't What It Used to Be," and I'm going to interview her about it on my blog. Anyway, your frank discussions with your kids are so wonderful and they remind me of the book. I will definitely give you my copy when I am done. I think you and the BG will find it interesting, even tho it sounds like you don't need it.