|
| |
Why does my son crossdress?
By Heather age 14
If you are reading this, I am going to assume that you have
some kind of relation to a crossdresser and you have come online seeking advice
on what you should do to solve this problem. I’ll start by saying this: if when
you discovered that the person was a crossdresser, you immediately thought of it
as a problem, then you are most likely the one with the problem.
Suffice to say, I can’t speak for everyone in the world, nor
can I define what is right and wrong for everyone. However, I never understood
why crossdressing has been scorned and considered a "wrong" thing to do.
What is a crossdresser?
I’ll start out by clearing up a very common confusion over
the term "crossdress." I’ve seen how some people (including parents who discover
that their son crossdresses) have jumped to radical conclusions when they hear
the term. For example, a crossdresser can be seen by his parents as someone who
is gay, someone who is transsexual, and someone who will have major problems
being accepted by others in life unless the parents do whatever they can to
stamp out their son’s crossdressing forever.
Let’s back up for a second. Here is a simple definition that
I have seen almost in every dictionary and website: Crossdress -- to wear
clothing usually associated with that of the opposite sex. End of definition.
What I find to be incredibly odd is that nowhere in this definition does it
mention something about being gay or something about wanting to have a sex
change or not developing socially. The subtle point I’m trying to make here is
that parents shouldn’t immediately associate all of these qualities with their
son. All it means is that he has tried on a new kind of clothing.
Something else I find odd (actually, insulting is a better
word) is that every women in America crossdresses every other day. Women wear
slacks, ties, shirts, suits, sneakers, etc.... I never understood why women
aren’t forced in society to wear only skirts, dresses, stockings, and high
heels. Now, I want the mom’s reading this to think about the last time they were
wearing a masculine kind of clothing (pants, shorts, etc...) When you began
wearing this clothing, did it classify you as a lesbian? Or was it because you
wished that you could be male?
The answer I’ll hear from most is that the clothes are simply
comfortable and easy to wear. Now, why is it that the same answer can’t apply
for men?
Why crossdress?
I’ve seen a lot of sites and people that try to explain why
some men crossdress. I’ve seen reasons such as that the boy lacked a masculine
role model, or because it is a compulsion, or even because of some kind of genes
in the mind (I don’t really understand the whole thing, but I digress). I would
like you consider for just a moment that maybe, just maybe, possibly, people
crossdress because it’s fun.
I’ve been to many a site, but I’ve yet to find one that
discusses that the reason for crossdressing is because it’s fun. I mean, when
most girls are young, they always get together with their friends to paint their
nails, do their makeup, and play dress-up. However, if a guy were to do the same
thing, it gets seen as an unhealthy activity. Some men begin crossdressing just
because feminine clothing is comfortable, the same reason that so many women
where men’s clothing.
Of course, as I said, I can’t really speak up for everyone.
There may be people who crossdress because they are transsexual or gay, but
parents should know that number of men who crossdress that are also transsexual
is very slim. And the amount of crossdressers that are gay is even smaller.
Maybe the whole gene thing can explain it too, but for the majority of
crossdressers, it’s because they just have fun doing it.
What should parents do?
Many parents have responded to crossdressing in harsh ways.
I’ve heard of mothers who put locks on their closet doors to prevent it from
happening again. I’ve heard that parents try to force their children into the
most masculine activities possible to steer them away from it. And I’ve heard
that some parents just ignore their son’s crossdressing altogether.
Well, every situation is different and so is every son. You
may have to discover on your own what is the best course of action, but I
believe there are some things that parents should do.
First of all, every parent of a teenager knows that the more
they forbid something, the more likely a teenager is to do it. So let’s not
forbid the crossdressing just yet. The most important thing I think a parent
should ensure is secrecy. This can sound very selfish on the parents’ part, but
it actually can help out the child. In today’s society, crossdressing is
generally scorned by most. Thus, crossdressers sometimes have a hard time being
accepted. If the child began crossdressing at a very young age, he may not yet
understand how it would affect him if the everyone knew that he crossdressed.
You should make sure that your child understands this. If he is a teenager, then
he probably already knows all about it.
As for the crossdressing itself, parents should allow it, but
they should also set limitations. Parents should understand that, to a
crossdresser, dressing up is pretty much a fun game. I’ll compare it to
basketball here. For a sport like basketball, children just have playing it. The
same is true for crossdressing. However, parents mostly would not let their
children play basketball all the time. They would make sure that he has other
hobbies as well. But that doesn’t mean they ban basketball. Just make sure he is
broadening his horizons.
A lot of parents may mistake my meaning here. I don’t
mean for you to inject them into something hyper-masculine. Let him stay with
something he likes. Tennis for example, or playing an instrument, or karate, or
something like that. But parents should be accepting of their son already. Your
child does have feelings, so be careful about the way you handle it. Don’t try
to seem like you’re trying to change him or trying to steer him away from
something. Just make sure he is developing other hobbies.
For most crossdressing is like a hobby, so parents can try to
treat it as such. Let you children have fun doing it, but don’t let them go
overboard with it. For example, set a rule that says that he can’t crossdress
until his homework is done. Also I think that parents should let their son have
his own woman’s clothing. Don’t give him an entire wardrobe, just enough for him
to enjoy dressing in. Buy your son who is own bra and panties, several skirts,
different kinds of tops that he wants (let him pick what kind he wants, but
indulge him too much or it could lead to problems) like tank-tops or nice
blouses. And let him have one or two dresses. One should be a casual dress, and
one should be a formal dress. Another restriction would be that on occasions,
you can allow your son to wear his formal dress, do his makeup and hair and come
to dinner.
However, do not do too much to encourage you son’s
crossdressing. If this happens, he could begin to crossdress too much.
Crossdressing, just like anything else, can become obsessive. But don’t mistake
this for enjoyment. For example, if the first thing your son does when he comes
home is change into a skirt, there is nothing wrong with that as long as he does
his homework or goes out to get exercise or hang out with his friends. If your
son crossdresses all the time when he is home and doesn’t go out, or if he skips
school so he can stay home and crossdress, then I would agree that there is a
problem.
|
