by Michelle Stein posted in Parenting

Most often, it was a well-meaning stranger trying to strike up a conversation while waiting in line at the grocery : "What a happy little guy! How old is he""
My eyes would glance slowly from my infant daughter ? who was usually sporting a pink shirt, or something with butterflies and flowers ? back to the kind, older woman smiling at us. "Well, she just turned 8 months last week," I'd answer. Sometimes, I would put a little emphasis on the she and sometimes I just let it go. I'd probably never see this person again, anyhow; to me, it wasn't worth making a big deal out of an innocent mistake.
But that doesn't mean it wasn't awkward as hell.

Here's my bald baby girl at 8 months old. What's the proper response in a situation like this" Moms in the BabyCenter Community have been discussing how they handle when their babies get referred to with the wrong gender pronoun. Here's a few of their responses:
"Nothing. I really couldn't possibly care less if strangers know which genitals my baby has," one mom commented.
"I just go with it," another confessed.
Another parent was quite flattered that her boys were complimented for being pretty. "My boys have always been called girls," she wrote. "Didn't matter that they had baseball outfits and totally boy clothes on. I find it a compliment as they think they are pretty. They are."

My middle child (a daughter) was frequentl...