1. Kids confuse “I like that” with “I must be that.”
Children still learning the world often equate “being a boy” or “being a girl” with the toys, colours, or activities they enjoy. When a classmate told a five-year-old girl that “science is for boys,” she concluded she had to be a boy to keep her passion. One short conversation with her mother—“girls can love science too”—and the wish vanished overnight. “Kindergarteners don’t know anything about anything… Let’s not assume they have some profound, infallible insight into something as culturally fraught as gender before they know how to tie their own shoes.” – quendergestion source [citation:4bdeee00-de5b-427c-97f7-84e99f79ffbe]

2. The child’s self-image is endlessly shape-able.
In the same week a child might announce they are a dinosaur, a superhero, “the opposite sex,” or a family pet. This flexibility is normal, healthy development, not proof of a fixed identity. “Young kids will honestly answer that they want to grow up to be a mermaid, President Batman, or a princess robot… they believe they can really turn into those things.” – majnyx source [citation:58f5cee8-290e-4438-a447-9784dc0559e5] Treating one of these playful statements as a life-long medical destiny cuts short the natural process of trying out, then letting go of, many possible selves.

3. Stereotypes, not bodies, are usually the problem.
When a little boy reaches for sparkles or a little girl reaches for a chemistry set, the trouble is the rule that says they shouldn’t. Several parents found that once they reassured their child, “You can wear sparkles and still be a boy,” or “Girls can be super-heroes,” the discomfort melted away. “No six-year-old wants to hormonally and surgically harm their bodies… They just want to wear cute stuff.” – sara7147 source [citation:578b210b-fd30-4300-8e0e-10a2cb337558] Accepting gender non-conformity in the child’s present body protects them from unnecessary medical risk and keeps the focus on loosening the rigid roles that caused the distress.

4. Early medical steps close doors that childhood would normally keep open.
Because children’s feelings shift so readily, the detransitioners warn that social or medical transition can freeze a temporary phase into a permanent path. “There is no scientific evidence that classifies childhood fantasies about being the opposite sex as being particularly different from other common childhood fantasies… Most people either grow out of them or reframe them as they get older.” – UniquelyDefined source [citation:e64f4616-74c8-4b43-b378-04315d67e315] Waiting, watching, and supporting non-conforming expression without drugs or surgery leaves space for the child’s own understanding to evolve.

Conclusion

The stories show that when a young child says, “I want to be the other gender,” they are usually asking for freedom from a stereotype, not for hormones or operations. Patient listening, firm reassurance that their body is fine as it is, and enthusiastic permission to dress, play, and dream in any “gendered” way they choose lets the child’s naturally malleable self-image unfold without unnecessary medical interference. In most cases, time, love, and relaxed rules are all the medicine they need.