Yeah we are.

I have made bread! Totally from scratch, all by myself. Haven't tasted it yet, but it sure looks pretty.

Woo-hoo! Go Hil! (And your anaerobic partners in crime!)

Well, and I feel bad, because clearly those parents mean well, and were willing to let their son play with barbies and all, so they're just following what the supposed "expert" is doing.

Jesus, yes - they'd got a house full of Barbie and Polly Pocket - they were okay with it. They just needed the expert to confirm that it was okay and give them some more tools for protecting their kid from getting beaten up.

still crying.

Fuckers. Man, it makes me appreciate my kids' parents so damn much; one wee boy, who's most likely gay, v. girly, and mum and dad are perfectly happy to help him wear nail polish (black, mind), or borrow my lipstick to put the finishing touch on his wee Red Devil outfit for hallowe'en. They're quite happy to let him be the girly wee beetle-loving bunny he is. And the other lady who asked me in the parents' meeting if I thought her kid were gay - to be honest, he hadn't pinged my gaydar, but she's probably right. And I said to her 'Huh - don't know. Hadn't registered it, but I see your point about the playing with girls and enjoying art and so forth...hmm. The thing is, though, whoever he's going to fall in love with when he grows up - that's who he is! Nothing you or I can do will change it, and I certainly wouldn't want to change anything about him - he's a fantastic kid! Really bright, talented, helpful, kind, polite - he rocks!' and she was all 'Yes, yes, I love him whoever he is, whether he is a "proper boy" or not.' Which I thought, over all, was a pretty positive take on it, even though she's a bit conflicted.

(Bless him. His grandmother died last week, and they flew up to Chiang Mai for the funeral. When he came back to school yesterday, she popped in to warn me that he might be a bit shy, and was feeling self conscious, because his head [including eyebrows] had been shaved. He was a monk for a day, along with several male relatives, to help speed his grandmother's soul to heaven. Bless bless bless.)

next stop... Pizza dough!

They just needed the expert to confirm that it was okay and give them some more tools for protecting their kid from getting beaten up.

Yeah, and Expert Guy had that whole reassuring "I'm the expert" calm voice thing going, and you could totally see people thinking he knows what to do, even over their own experience. And you can't help but think, what if they just happened to be on the West Coast, and to have looked up the other therapist in the phone book?

Plus, I was completely creeped by the way Expert Guy's rhetoric and methods so completely matched the freaky fundie ex-gay camps: you can't even draw pictures of girly things! You can't look at pink! You can't have girl friends! Because you're going to backslide into the Wrong Lifestyle that's tempting you... and meanwhile the kid's already figured out the closet dynamic, playing with the girls at school and then coming home and hiding it.

fucking crying again. should write up collected observations on bread baking instead.

because his head [including eyebrows] had been shaved. He was a monk for a day, along with several male relatives, to help speed his grandmother's soul to heaven. Bless bless bless.)

oh, poor flower! OTOH, I suspect that it is healthy way to help a child deal with death, if he is allowed to help the soul get to heaven.

Hey Tep, Daisy, Brenda...Next time you're in SF we're going here.

Geeesh, not gone yet.

I can see limiting clothing, like maybe telling the kid that he or she has to stick to fairly gender-neutral clothes, like jeans and plain t-shirts, but limiting what the kid can draw? For lots of kids, drawing is the best way they've got of expressing themselves.

Just tasted the bread. Yum. It's about half whole wheat, half white. And I've got two loaves, which ought to last me close to two weeks. Next time, I think I'll try 100% whole wheat. (This one also has leftover brown rice mixed in, which kind of half dissolved, giving it a bit of texture.)

his head [including eyebrows] had been shaved. He was a monk for a day, along with several male relatives, to help speed his grandmother's soul to heaven.

Oh, yes, on this -- my instinct would be to praise the hell out of how important his role was, and at the same time to offer him the most flowery and outrageous hat in the room. No idea if that's either psychologically or pedagogically right, but it seems to fit the child.