Parents Embrace Their Cross-Dressing 'Princess Boy

Let me preface this by saying that I'm all for people expressing themselves, but this story caught my eye for a couple different reasons.

No. 1: Does expecting your son/daughter to stick to traditional "pink is for girls, blue is for boys" gender roles mean you're somehow suppressing their creativity? I don't think so, but that seems to be the message of this Seattle talk show. The audience applauds this young boy for seemingly being completely confused about his gender.

No. 2: The boy's mother says her "Princess Boy" was attracted to shiny things before the age of two, which begs the question: what baby isn't drawn to colorful shapes, lights and things that sparkle at that age? At some point, though, shouldn't you tell your son that boys don't wear dresses?

I also think it's telling that the adults get half-way through the interview before even addressing the 5-year-old boy directly, even though the mom claims he's the inspiration for her new book. Further, these parents insist that they just want their child to be happy, but how happy will a child be when he grows up to realize he's been raised completely different from everyone else?

The mother herself admits that when she first saw her son in a dress, she was so unnerved that she went out and bought more boy outfits. Why is she now on a crusade to scold people for their "preconceived notions" and having the exact same reaction? And what school is using this book as an "anti-bullying" tool, teaching kids that cross-dressing and blurred gender lines are a-okay?

Finally, who is intolerant -- the people who live by societal norms or the people who insist that we don't? And where should a parent draw the line between "individuality" and social deviancy? What do you think?