What would you do if one of your children was a gender “misfit”? As in, your son likes to play dress up in Mommy’s clothes, play with dolls, and would rather hang out with girls than boys.
Or, your little girl cries when she has to wear dresses, prefers GI Joe to Barbie, and isn’t interested in pretty, frilly, or dainty things.
I’m not talking about sexual preferences. I’m just talking about behaviors.
I don’t know that I count as a social conservative, but I know plenty of conservative parents whose children do stuff like that. Most people I know don’t raise an eyebrow if their girl is a tomboy (and my daughters are not allowed to own Barbies). Some of them are relieved that they don’t have to deal with princess-mania. But princess-mania generally hits at some point.
I’ve known a bunch of boys who liked to dress up, and generally their parents shrug and just try to keep it to times when there’s no friends over (because of possible teasing). After all, girls get all the pretty things, and even boys like pretty things sometimes. They seem to worry more about immediate social repercussions than whether their kid will be gay.
My own kid made me choke recently while we were driving in the car. She carefully explained to me that she is a girl who likes boy things, and is therefore a birl. A boy who likes girl things would naturally be-- a goy.
I keep seeing these things called “Baby changing stations” in public restrooms. Maybe one of those would help.
As a daycare teacher, let me tell you that it’s perfectly normal for kids up to the age of 5 to not fit gender roles. After the age of 5, it’s kinda strange. We don’t really correct the kids, we just give an “Oh, my” kind of giggle.
For the record, I don’t think it’s THAT conservative to support and propagate gender roles. I like knowing if the person next to me on the bus has a penis or not. I think it’s important. Call me crazy.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a socially conservative doper, but I think you’ve left out a very important piece of info: What age range are we talking about here? I’m sure someone with more knowledge of child psych will come along, but, if you’re talking early years (I dunno 3-5ish?) that could be an incredibly common thing. IIRC, most (possibly a very high percentage) children go through this phase. I would imagine that the responses will be different for other age ranges.
(I know that your title excludes me, but here ya go: I doubt I would do very much other than what dangermom was describing - try to minimize socialization issues. And BTW, dangermom, that’s too funny! 
)
ETA: Shoulda previewed!
Let’s say we’re talking about a pre-teenager. Eight to 12-years-old. Young enough so that the behavior could be shaped by parental pressure, but old enough so that the child may be resentful and intentionally defiant.
If it were my kid, I would enfore gender-appropriate clothing whether they liked it or not. (Boys kind of get the short end of the stick on that one; there are lots of clothes that are strictly for girls only, but not so much the other way around.) Toys wouldn’t concern me too much. If, for example, my son wanted to play with horses instead of swords, I wouldn’t buy him a frilly pink My Little Pony, but I’d buy him some kind of gender neutral horse toys (and probably the sword as well, just in case he changed his mind 
).
Well, I was thinking of younger kids. I do know one almost-8-yo who dresses up in his mom’s clothes, but then they are about the only dress-up things in the place, so that might be it. He seems to do it partly for attention (at least he did when I was there; it was a show for me). She just shrugs and says that’s her boy. It probably does make a her a little nervous, but she has more pressing things to worry about, like food and rent.
Not to drag the thread off-topic, but why on earth would that be important?
I am not going to call you crazy, but I do think you might be more socially conservative than you think you are.
Cause he is in Intel. If you see a hot chick on the bus, knowledge of the existence of a penis is vital intel. Especially if you are considering asking for a date. 
Hell yes. I’ve seen The Crying Game.
Hopefully I would let my kid actually be a person and define his/her own personality. It’s precisely these kinds of “enforced personality” cases that end up being major baggage later in life, IMO.
Really? That’s the last thing I want to know about a complete stranger sitting next to me on public transport.
Here here!
The only reasonable solution for any red-blooded heterosexual is to beat the pansy out of him/into her.
What if it’s in the stranger’s lunch box?
Wow. I really don’t put that high a priority on the genitals of anyone with whom, at that moment, I am not having sex.
No kidding. How funny that conservatives want the government out of their business, and yet they crave the power to peer into everyone’s pants.
I’m curious here… What was your instinct? Is it that you’re doubting that your instinct in these matters is correct, or you’re worried about overreacting, or maybe you didn’t feel like saying anything at all but afterwards worried that you’re being too permissive? I think this would help direct the answer.
At the end of the day this question is more about you than the child, and what you feel comfortable modelling/endorsing.