Kate Hudson says she prefers a “genderless” approach to raising kids
Kate Hudson has revealed that she’s keen to give her baby the freedom to be … whoever she wants to be.
“We still don’t know”
Kate and boyfriend Danny Fujikawa welcomed adorable baby Rani – named for Danny’s father – on 2 October last year. Kate just spoke to AOL about raising a daughter in the wake of parenting two boys – she’s mum to 15-year-old Ryder and seven-year-old Bingham – and she said that it’s been a different experience in a couple of ways.
She revealed that she’s not assuming anything when it comes to her baby’s future, explaining that she’s simply raising her youngest as a delightful little human and not assuming anything when it comes to gender.
“I think you just raise your kids individually regardless – like a genderless [approach],” Kate told AOL when asked if she was parenting Rani differently to her sons. “We still don’t know what she’s going to identify as.”
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Although Kate’s apparently keen to take cues from Rani about identity, she describes her daughter as currently having “feminine” energy in the sounds she makes and how she interacts.
“It’s very different from the boys,” she noted, admitting she was really loving dressing Rani and chooses outfits that are different to those she dressed her boys in. That said, she has her limits when it comes to choosing baby clothes.
“There’s some stuff that I’m like, ‘I can’t do that to her, because it’s so over-the-top’,” and I think we’ve all been there.
Wait, what?
Kate’s statement is even more interesting to mull over because she and her family announced her third pregnancy with a very PINK ‘gender reveal’ video on Instagram.
Perhaps she’s now rethinking her ideas about gender identity – because we’re allowed to change our views! Or perhaps her beliefs about sex and gender coexist in a more Kate-nuanced way? Or perhaps she’s going to be led by Rani, once her daughter is old enough to begin expressing herself more clearly. It’s hard to know, but perhaps she’ll speak about it someday.
A few of Kate’s followers were wondering about this shift too.
“Why did you have a gender reveal party if you are allowing your daughter to determine her sex?” one quizzed.
“Why have a gender reveal party until you know for sure that’s what she wants to be?” another wrote.
Nurturing individuality
Kate’s not the only celebrity mum who’s keen to shake up gender stereotypes and encourage her kids own unique spirits.
Megan Fox – who is married to Brian Austin Green – is keen for her little boys to live their best lives and express themselves in ways that make sense to them. She’s mum to six-year-old Noah, four-year-old Bodhi and two-year-old Journey and her kiddos sport long hair and cute dresses in some of the photos she shares on Instagram.
“Boys can wear dresses,” she told Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on his show. “There are no rules—you can be whatever you want to be in my house!”
Last year actor and expectant mum Teresa Palmer Instagrammed a photo declaring she was raising gender-neutral kids too.
“My wild tribe.” Teresa captioned a photo of her boys Forest and Bohdi. “I love their love. #brothers #hellyeahtheywearpink #genderneutralforthewin.”
And pop star Pink told People they don’t care for labels in their house, instead creating an environment where kids can be whoever they choose to be.
“We are a very label-less household,” she said. “Last week Willow told me she is going to marry an African woman. I was like: ‘Great, can you teach me how to make African food?’ And she’s like: ‘Sure mama, and we are going to live with you while our house is getting ready.’”
Gender neutral 101
A lot of people panic when they hear the term ‘gender-neutral’ but it’s really not anything to freak out about.
Gender neutral simply means: “suitable for, applicable to, or common to both male and female genders” but it can also indicate a person who does not identify as a man, woman or any other gender (also known as agender).
Gender-neutral parenting is being adopted by many families in a bid to create equal opportunities for kids, encourage their natural interests and celebrate the individual. Things like toys, clothes, decorating and activities that are all-inclusive, and stereotypes that involve perceived masculine and feminine interests are abandoned.
This philosophy lets kids freely explore their identity, passions and interests … and that’s nothing to freak out about, now is it?!
