When Cian was four years old, he asked to try on one of his mother’s dresses…
And in an instant, he was hooked. Cian immediately began begging his mother, Crystal Kells, for a dress of his very own.
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
Crystal was somewhat concerned, but only at first – then she knew just what to do.
“I was a little worried about him getting teased, but quickly realized that Cian was going to base how he should react from me. So, I made sure I was confident and indifferent about it.”
Crystal decided to approach her situation by doing one of the things she does best: photography. So she began taking pictures of Cian in his dresses… and the Internet fell in love.
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
It’s easy to see why, because when Cian wears his dresses and tutus, he clearly has a magical time.
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
At first, she only posted the photos to her personal social media accounts, where she found plenty of support. But Crystal wanted to spread a positive message and help other parents who might be in similar situations, so she wrote a column and shared her story with the world.
“This is my son Cian and he loves to wear dresses. We’ve never taught it to him ‘This is for girls and this is for boys’ and we never will.”
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
Obviously, her choice – like any choice – was met with plenty of criticism, but for every negative comment she receives, another message of encouragement pops up in her inbox, reassuring her that she made the right choice and her voice needed to be heard.
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
“I want my son to grow up knowing he has a voice. Grow up knowing he can do and be anything he wants to be in this world.”
Crystal and her husband continue doing their very best to raise their child without gender stereotypes.
“Being a Parent means a lot of different things to many different people. What does being a parent mean to me? It means, putting someone before myself. It means, loving someone more than anything in the entire world. It means, raising a child to become the best version of themselves. To encourage. To respect. To inspire and develop the next generation of our society. Becoming a parent no longer is about US. It’s about THEM.”
Photo Credit: Crystal Kells
Crystal says she doesn’t know whether Cian is gay or transgendered – he’s only 5. Some days he wants to be a girl. Some days he wants to be Iron Man. So no matter how many people get caught up in this pointless transgender debate, it doesn’t really matter – because she and her husband will continue to nurture and support Cian in the best way they know how.
“We support our child in whoever they are and look forward to seeing how their gender expression manifests as they age. The most important thing to us is the health and happiness of our son.”
And, aside from Cian, there will always be someone else out there who needs to hear her message and be encouraged by her loving, supportive beliefs.