My son is 6 years old...He does not play with boys and some times he acts like a girl! We don't know what to do.... other kids at the after school [are] calling him a GAY!
So please let me know something about it!
Thank you so much!

Hello-
I have identical twin boys who are 3. One of them is your typical little boy who loves trucks, cars and anything super-hero related. The other twin loves all things girly. You name it and that is what he wants and wants to play with..Barbies, princesses, anything pink, etc. He went through a stage all he wanted to do was dress up in my clothes, however that doesn't seem very often these days.
No matter what we say or what we do, he always wants to see or look at the girl character..if we say Batman, he says Batgirl, if we say prince he says princess. He clearly identifies himself as a boy and does not say he wants to be a girl or anything like that but he is just obsessed about anything girl related. We know he is still just a kid but sometimes it's a little intense. He doesn't show much interest at all in trucks, cars or anything boy related.
I guess my question is, is this normal little boy behavior? It's been going on for awhile now. I just worry that if it continues, he is going to have a difficult time fitting in with our society not to mention the distant relationship he will have with his own identical twin brother. I would like to hear your thoughts.

Dear Barbara,
I'm feeling uncomfortable with the level of affection my 9 year-old son shows around his 7 year-old sister. Sometimes she will lay on top of him in a playful way and he hugs her quite lovingly with a big grin on his face. He makes noises of contentment and bliss like you might expect a husband and wife to do when they embrace.

My 8-year-old daughter told me that she "just knows" that she is gay. I find this hard to believe. She told me about an incident where she and a (girl) friend got undressed in front of each other and "rolled around naked" on her bed. I asked for more details, explaining that she might feel better to get it off her chest. She cried a lot and while she did not give more information, she insisted that she could just feel it that she's a lesbian.

From: Catherine, Richmond, VA

My 8 year old daughter recently said, "I'm so ugly, I really hate myself." I must have looked horrified, and I said, "No no no, you are gorgeous inside and out!" She definitely noticed that this is a way to get a reaction out of me, because now she's constantly saying negative things about herself. I have always been careful not to put myself down in front of her (I have struggled with self-esteem issues all my life), so I do not think she is repeating things I say. How should I react when she says things like, "I'm an idiot," "I hate myself," etc?

Lori Verni-Fogarsi has been a freelance writer, journalist, columnist, and seminar speaker for 15+ years. "Momnesia" is her debut novel, which covers the topic of balancing momminess and sexiness. Verni-Fogarsi is a happily married mom of two, step mom of two more, and has two cats, both rotten. She is currently working on her next novel.

Hey Barbara,

From: Maria, Bronx, NY

OK, my best friend's little girl has been kissing my son and they are only 7. What should I do about it?

Question: I am a mother of five boys. 20, 19, 6, 6, and 2. Tonight my twins were caught lieing in bed with their pants down, laying on top of each other. I know not to over react, but I just want to know exactly what to say to them to not give them the wrong idea about anything. Please help.

I have a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. I currently bath them together because (a) it's easier for me to combine bath time and (b) they play well together and have fun together in the bath. At what age is it no longer appropriate for siblings of different genders to bath together? Thanks.
From: Momof2, Small Town, NH