Letting them know they can be anything they want to be

   One of my son's favorite things to do is to grab a bunch of small stuffed animals, tuck them inside his shirt, and then ask one of us to pull them out gently while he commenses  regular rhythmic breathing (ie. "Hee hee hee whooo... Hee hee hee whooo...")
   "Why do you like to pretend to give birth so much?"

   "Well because I want to be a woman."

   "I see.  [This after the fit he had the other day to cut his hair to 'be a boy'] ...and do you think giving birth is the best part about being a woman?"

   "Yes."
   "Don't you know you can be anything you want to be?"
   "I can't make a baby."

   "What if I showed you a man who got pregnant?"  [I show him a picture of Thomas Beatie.]

   His eyes widen.  "That's... so... cool!"

   "I tell ya Kody, you'd make an incredible woman.  And I don't say that to a lot of men!"