Moms Talk: Gender Identity and Children

When Kathy Witterick and her husband, David Stocker, decided not to tell anyone but a select few the gender of their third child, Storm Stocker, their e-mail notifying family and friends of that decision set off quite the reaction.

Witterick and Stocker described their decision as "a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation."

Others described it in not-so-nice terms. Parenting websites and discussion forums are debating it, columnists and so-called parenting experts are weighing in.

It also turned out to raise a lot of questions, which you can tackle here.

Do you see this as a parents' choice that should be respected? Or do you think the parents are putting their desire to make a statement over their child's well-being?

Are Witterick and Stocker putting too much pressure on their sons, 5-year-old Jazz and 2-year-old Koi, to respect their decision even though Witterick insists that she and Stocker are not forcing their children to keep a secret?

Do you dismiss Witterick and Stocker as a pair of crunchy-granola flakes over this choice, the fact that Witterick gave birth to Storm in water and at home, and their children having "kre8iv" names like Koi, Jazz and Storm?

Do your kids do or like things outside traditional gender roles? Did your son like to play dress-up, and would your daughter rather play Viking warrior than princess? Do you ever secretly worry, deep down, that it may mean something more than child's play, and then wonder what it says about you that you're worrying?

While you may disagree with Witterick over her and her husband's choice on Storm's gender identity, she brought up an interesting point in a piece she wrote in response to the criticism.

The strong negative responses, which she described as "vitriolic," demonstrated how parents, mothers especially, are quickly judged and criticized.

Have you ever felt that sting of judgment, or felt yourself judging? 

Talk amongst yourselves in the comments.

Joining us, as always, is our terrific Moms Council.

 is our parenting columnist. Julie, a longtime reporter and communications professional, is a first-time mom of a son born in November.

 works in healthcare. She and husband Timothy have a daughter, Amara. Monina is also a member of the Disney Moms Panel, one of 15 moms selected nationwide, advising people online about planning Disney vacations.

 is a mom of three children ages 5 and under with her husband, Bill. She also works part-time.

 is a native of New Jersey. She is a marketing professional who has worked in advertising, market research, vending and equipment companies. She and her husband live in Avon with their two children.

 is a mom to a Girl Scout and lives in Avon.

 is president of Avon Early Childhood PTA. She will also be blogging for Avon Patch. If you're a parent and want to share your experiences raising children in Avon, you, too, can .