"People have a right to be what they are."-Anon above

How are children suppose to develop into who they are when their parents destroy their natural instincts by forcing them into gender specific roles.  People only realize who they are when they are able to explore all aspects of the growing up process, in a gender neutral way. 

Neal Pollack I really appreciate parents like you, who are open and willing to try raising their children in a gender neutral environment.  I have seen parents steer their children in the directions they believe society wants them to go towards, based off of the different activities they plan for their girls and their boys. Even when parents dress their girls in pink, or in dresses, all the time and their boys in only blue, black and green, this is another way that parents are shaping their gender stereotypes.  

I remember playing T-ball as a kid and when my friends and I were older we played baseball.  Every season the number of girls on the team trickled down and the league became predominately male.  At the age of 10 I was the only girl left and didn't notice until other parents brought it to my attention.  I soon joined all girls softball as a result of this.  It's ashame that I was influenced by this gender stereotype that boys play baseball and girls play softball at such an early age.

So where it is hard and at some point a parent has to make a conscious decision how they want to raise their children in terms of gender specific activities, I think the parents that find the balance without making clear distinctions between the genders visible to their children, are the most successful.