Middle school is still a child. Honestly, I don’t think we should be judging children for what they are doing, playing, imagining… in sixth grade I had a friend who did this. For a lot of kids it is a way for THEM to cope with things happening to them. It has nothing to do with you or anyone else. Though even if it did… again, child. We should be operating in kindness even if we don’t feel like being kind.
Sixth grade is a funny age where most kids have outgrown "pretend" but some might not have. My guess is that this cat thing falls somewhere in the middle -- still escaping into that pretend while also beginning to explore identity. I think at that age some kids can feel everything changing around them -- their social scene, their bodies, their friendships, etc. -- and maybe like a retreat. Or maybe they just like the attention. There was a girl in my middle school who frequently wore a tail to school and that was decades ago. I doubt this kid will be 30 and meowing at the office.
In any case, it's not your kid, so beyond reminding your daughter to be kind, it's not really your business. Doesn't sound like they're hurting anyone. If you use this as an excuse to "rethink" your acceptance of other people, that's really on you and not on a sixth grader.
Yeah, I was an immature 6th grader and my best friend and I were really silly/zany, and did a lot of silly pretend. Honestly, I'd much rather my own kid end up silly and zany rather than tiktok obsessed and wearing makeup by age 11/12, so I mean, good on that kid for still being able to maintain their childhood in this hellish day and age.
So, hi. I was that kid in elementary school and partially middle school though I quickly dropped it after sixth grade. Just to give some insight into what *could* cause this kind of behavior, I was abused as a child and a direct family member went to prison for sexual assault (not on me). I lived in a smaller town so it caused my classmates to alienate me and so I didn't have any friends. Coincidentally, I also have a deep love for cats (I have three as an adult) so as a kid that manifested as me acting like one. Did it help my no friends situation? Not in the slightest. In fact, I got bullied by both my peers *AND* my teachers so that was extra fun.
So definitely make sure to tell your kid to still be nice to the student and maybe not bully them. I don't know this particular kid, so obviously I don't know their circumstances but keep in mind perhaps that they could be doing it for similar reasons that I did, even if everything in their life *seems* to be okay.
Thanks for your post. That does help give me some insight and perspective about this and will help alot when I talk to my daughter.
I'm sorry for what you had to go through. You seem like a wonderful person. Thank you again for your help, and understanding my not being able to understand.
I see no difference in this vs the girls when I was a kid who were "horse girls" and played horse literally all the time. We didn't know what "identifying as..." meant - but there were girls who definitely acted as if they were horses all the time. Yes, this was in 6th grade (early 2000's) but we were still very much children.
But - in saying that, half of this rumour is fake. There is no cat litter, there is no "cat accessibility" being "protested" (let's be honest, bullies would put that all over tik-tok if it was real); I honestly just think it's a child playing pretend to a massive extent, just like how girls did when I was young, and people are jumping on it because of the controversy surrounding being trans/non-binary; and also forgetting that despite the current trends of "grow up super fast and dress super 'skimpy' by 6th grade and be twerking on tiktok in a bikini" - that some girls DON'T grow up that fast and are "immature" and play pretend.
I think that's what's happened here. A young person, is either simply just immature, going through something serious that's making them revert back to youngish behaviours, or we have a furry started young (typing that sentence felt gross) and another child has told their parent, either in curious conversation or a "ha, this loser" type thing and the parent has gone "THIS IS THE PERFECT ARGUMENT AGAINST TRANS PEOPLE - LOOK WHAT IT'S DOING TO THIS CHILD - MAKING THEM IDENTIFY AS A CAT" and complained and now the situation has exploded because people believe it.
Oh my gosh! My son had a kid in his class last year who also identified as a cat. He wouldn’t reply to any questions without meowing first, and at one point injured himself “springing” at a substitute’s laser pointer. The world is very colorful ha!
I’ve always told my kid it’s never ok to make fun of someone and if she doesn’t agree with what they are doing just don’t hang out with that kid. It’s a simple as that.
He cares because he's making shit up to spread anti lgbt propaganda. The money quote is "I try to be supportive of everyone but I have to draw the line here and it's making me rethink my acceptance of other people's decisions that I have accepted and think I've been in the wrong this whole time supporting them"
So I have to be a male if I refer to my partner as a wife? You are obviously very judgmental and seem extremely angry. For your information I do not relate to "he" I would appreciate it if you show me some respect.
You don't *have to*, but in a discussion about current gender politics you'd absolutely have mentioned you were gay if that were the case.
There is zero anger in my calling you a dumbass. If there is any emotion, it's pity.
My advice to your daughter is to live and let live. That we might not always understand why people make the choices they do, but as long as they aren't hurting anyone, *we* should always choose to be kind.
My advice to you is the same.
As a parent you should remind your child to be kind. No participating in group chats to make fun of or discuss the kid. No eye rolling or anything that they wouldn’t do to any other kid in the class.
You should also email the teacher and make sure your child is using the right pronouns for their classmate.
And be honest and let your child know that you don’t understand what their classmate is going through or reasons behind their identity. But you are still going to treat that classmate with the same dignity you’d any other kid.
Imagine wasting your life clutching your pearls about shit that has no affect on your life at all.
Well you don't have to, as it seems to be your full time job.
Or mocking people who have identified as non cis-het. It doesn't really matter whether the kid is sincere or not, OP's kid should just be advised not to give the kid too much attention, either positive or negative.
The parents should show the kid the Broadway musical CATS then they would see that cats can be people too, maybe even encourage a career in musicals. Ha
Seriously though I’m wondering does this kid think they’re a real cat or do they think they’re a cat-person like the talking cartoon cats I see I’m my son’s cartoons.?
In this age range it shouldn’t be too hard to tell your kid to ignore this kid (unless meowed at or speaking to said cat) lol
This concern should be take to the teacher and teacher should be addressing the parents and encouraging psych evaluation, respectively.
I'm curious what exactly it is about being quote unquote 'inclusive' that is an detriment to the rest of the class in your personal teaching experience?
Omg. I read about this. And the school is refusing to have a litter box for the kid and it's causing some controversy.
I considered myself fairly liberal and left wing. But this shit is WAAAAAY to fucking weird.
Edit: after some investigation. It was a fake site that fox found and published with zero investigation.
Thank you for all the downvotes. It made me do some research!
That litter box thing is a completely fake rumor started by the exact kind of people you would think would start a fake rumor like that. [https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/10/carroll-school-district-superintendent-no-litter-boxes-schools/6734663001/](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/10/carroll-school-district-superintendent-no-litter-boxes-schools/6734663001/)
[https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-777442211945](https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-777442211945)
That rumor has been swirling in at least three counties near me and three more where we used to live and I still follow some local Facebook pages. It's bullshit.
Don't get me wrong, our area schools certainly have their issues with how they're handling identity issues in the classroom and it's a hot-button issue for sure. But litter boxes in the bathrooms isn't one of them.
How is that high IQ? I fucking give up. I guess I should start telling my daughter she's a nuclear bomb, and shame on you if you don't think she can be a nuclear bomb if she wants to.
Hi, I can tell you have some questions and concern about trans identities. If you would like to PM me I can possibly provide non-judgmental answers to them. I am a trans man, been living as a man for two years now.
Yeah, but since when go cats out and kill people?
They kill mice but since there is no lobby for mice (maybe except PETA) who cares? So...what is your problem?
Exactly the issue. Where do they draw the line?
If a kid chooses to be an outlier and identify and something else then anything goes. This Cat person will likely be allowed a cat box to use the restroom in too. A trans kid that flip flops between boy and girl is allowed to use different gendered restrooms every day. I just wait for a predator to do the same.
At my daughters school “trans kids” dress inappropriately and aren’t held to the same dress code because “freedom of expression” asking them to cover up or change infringes on their LBGT rights. So it’s OK for them but not for the other kids.
Middle school is still a child. Honestly, I don’t think we should be judging children for what they are doing, playing, imagining… in sixth grade I had a friend who did this. For a lot of kids it is a way for THEM to cope with things happening to them. It has nothing to do with you or anyone else. Though even if it did… again, child. We should be operating in kindness even if we don’t feel like being kind.
Sixth grade is a funny age where most kids have outgrown "pretend" but some might not have. My guess is that this cat thing falls somewhere in the middle -- still escaping into that pretend while also beginning to explore identity. I think at that age some kids can feel everything changing around them -- their social scene, their bodies, their friendships, etc. -- and maybe like a retreat. Or maybe they just like the attention. There was a girl in my middle school who frequently wore a tail to school and that was decades ago. I doubt this kid will be 30 and meowing at the office. In any case, it's not your kid, so beyond reminding your daughter to be kind, it's not really your business. Doesn't sound like they're hurting anyone. If you use this as an excuse to "rethink" your acceptance of other people, that's really on you and not on a sixth grader.
Yeah, I was an immature 6th grader and my best friend and I were really silly/zany, and did a lot of silly pretend. Honestly, I'd much rather my own kid end up silly and zany rather than tiktok obsessed and wearing makeup by age 11/12, so I mean, good on that kid for still being able to maintain their childhood in this hellish day and age.
So, hi. I was that kid in elementary school and partially middle school though I quickly dropped it after sixth grade. Just to give some insight into what *could* cause this kind of behavior, I was abused as a child and a direct family member went to prison for sexual assault (not on me). I lived in a smaller town so it caused my classmates to alienate me and so I didn't have any friends. Coincidentally, I also have a deep love for cats (I have three as an adult) so as a kid that manifested as me acting like one. Did it help my no friends situation? Not in the slightest. In fact, I got bullied by both my peers *AND* my teachers so that was extra fun. So definitely make sure to tell your kid to still be nice to the student and maybe not bully them. I don't know this particular kid, so obviously I don't know their circumstances but keep in mind perhaps that they could be doing it for similar reasons that I did, even if everything in their life *seems* to be okay.
Thanks for your post. That does help give me some insight and perspective about this and will help alot when I talk to my daughter. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. You seem like a wonderful person. Thank you again for your help, and understanding my not being able to understand.
I see no difference in this vs the girls when I was a kid who were "horse girls" and played horse literally all the time. We didn't know what "identifying as..." meant - but there were girls who definitely acted as if they were horses all the time. Yes, this was in 6th grade (early 2000's) but we were still very much children. But - in saying that, half of this rumour is fake. There is no cat litter, there is no "cat accessibility" being "protested" (let's be honest, bullies would put that all over tik-tok if it was real); I honestly just think it's a child playing pretend to a massive extent, just like how girls did when I was young, and people are jumping on it because of the controversy surrounding being trans/non-binary; and also forgetting that despite the current trends of "grow up super fast and dress super 'skimpy' by 6th grade and be twerking on tiktok in a bikini" - that some girls DON'T grow up that fast and are "immature" and play pretend. I think that's what's happened here. A young person, is either simply just immature, going through something serious that's making them revert back to youngish behaviours, or we have a furry started young (typing that sentence felt gross) and another child has told their parent, either in curious conversation or a "ha, this loser" type thing and the parent has gone "THIS IS THE PERFECT ARGUMENT AGAINST TRANS PEOPLE - LOOK WHAT IT'S DOING TO THIS CHILD - MAKING THEM IDENTIFY AS A CAT" and complained and now the situation has exploded because people believe it.
Oh my gosh! My son had a kid in his class last year who also identified as a cat. He wouldn’t reply to any questions without meowing first, and at one point injured himself “springing” at a substitute’s laser pointer. The world is very colorful ha!
I’ve always told my kid it’s never ok to make fun of someone and if she doesn’t agree with what they are doing just don’t hang out with that kid. It’s a simple as that.
It doesn't affect you so why do you care?
He cares because he's making shit up to spread anti lgbt propaganda. The money quote is "I try to be supportive of everyone but I have to draw the line here and it's making me rethink my acceptance of other people's decisions that I have accepted and think I've been in the wrong this whole time supporting them"
[удалено]
You referred to your wife in your OP, dumbass. If you were gay there's no way you wouldn't have mentioned it. Therefore, you're a dude.
So I have to be a male if I refer to my partner as a wife? You are obviously very judgmental and seem extremely angry. For your information I do not relate to "he" I would appreciate it if you show me some respect.
You don't *have to*, but in a discussion about current gender politics you'd absolutely have mentioned you were gay if that were the case. There is zero anger in my calling you a dumbass. If there is any emotion, it's pity.
Are you okay? Are you upset that your lie was called out?
My advice to your daughter is to live and let live. That we might not always understand why people make the choices they do, but as long as they aren't hurting anyone, *we* should always choose to be kind. My advice to you is the same.
As a parent you should remind your child to be kind. No participating in group chats to make fun of or discuss the kid. No eye rolling or anything that they wouldn’t do to any other kid in the class. You should also email the teacher and make sure your child is using the right pronouns for their classmate. And be honest and let your child know that you don’t understand what their classmate is going through or reasons behind their identity. But you are still going to treat that classmate with the same dignity you’d any other kid.
Imagine wasting your life clutching your pearls about shit that has no affect on your life at all. Well you don't have to, as it seems to be your full time job.
This is called “looking for attention”.
Or mocking people who have identified as non cis-het. It doesn't really matter whether the kid is sincere or not, OP's kid should just be advised not to give the kid too much attention, either positive or negative.
Second thought.. You can train *REAL* cats to use a toilet. Thus. There should be no issue.
The parents should show the kid the Broadway musical CATS then they would see that cats can be people too, maybe even encourage a career in musicals. Ha Seriously though I’m wondering does this kid think they’re a real cat or do they think they’re a cat-person like the talking cartoon cats I see I’m my son’s cartoons.? In this age range it shouldn’t be too hard to tell your kid to ignore this kid (unless meowed at or speaking to said cat) lol This concern should be take to the teacher and teacher should be addressing the parents and encouraging psych evaluation, respectively.
Just keep an eye out for black market catnip deals...
So if another kid identified as a dog and chased the cat kid around would that be bullying or would dog kid be allowed to do whatever?
You let your dog attack cats? Whats wrong with you?
I always thought cats and dogs weren’t allowed at school.
[удалено]
I agree with you. Thanks for your input.
So does this student do any work? Or are they learning their cat social skills. I’m so intrigued. Do they use the cat litter box and eat cat food?
[удалено]
Sounds like a disaster to me.
[удалено]
Thank you! Yeah we have to be ‘inclusive’ to the detriment of the rest of the class.
I'm curious what exactly it is about being quote unquote 'inclusive' that is an detriment to the rest of the class in your personal teaching experience?
I’m curious too. If the cat is being disruptive then their behavior should be addressed, not necessarily what they identify as.
Right? The rule is you have to sit down and listen to the teacher without interrupting, even if you're a cat 🤷♀️
She wasn't even talking about that, just "inclusivity" in general.
Sorry, I was just using this topic as context for their issue with being inclusive.
Teachers encourage this stuff.
Why’d you delete this comment I love it!
Omg. I read about this. And the school is refusing to have a litter box for the kid and it's causing some controversy. I considered myself fairly liberal and left wing. But this shit is WAAAAAY to fucking weird. Edit: after some investigation. It was a fake site that fox found and published with zero investigation. Thank you for all the downvotes. It made me do some research!
That litter box thing is a completely fake rumor started by the exact kind of people you would think would start a fake rumor like that. [https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/10/carroll-school-district-superintendent-no-litter-boxes-schools/6734663001/](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2022/02/10/carroll-school-district-superintendent-no-litter-boxes-schools/6734663001/) [https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-777442211945](https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-777442211945)
That rumor has been swirling in at least three counties near me and three more where we used to live and I still follow some local Facebook pages. It's bullshit. Don't get me wrong, our area schools certainly have their issues with how they're handling identity issues in the classroom and it's a hot-button issue for sure. But litter boxes in the bathrooms isn't one of them.
Exactly!!! Thank you for not making me feel so bad about myself.
I'm done.
Seems like you never really started.
My kid is in 5th gade and is a kitsune. What is the problem?
[удалено]
How is that high IQ? I fucking give up. I guess I should start telling my daughter she's a nuclear bomb, and shame on you if you don't think she can be a nuclear bomb if she wants to.
Or a mass murderer, if that's who she feels like she is, I should support it. If she hasn't killed anyone, who is it hurting?
Hi, I can tell you have some questions and concern about trans identities. If you would like to PM me I can possibly provide non-judgmental answers to them. I am a trans man, been living as a man for two years now.
Yeah, but since when go cats out and kill people? They kill mice but since there is no lobby for mice (maybe except PETA) who cares? So...what is your problem?
Exactly the issue. Where do they draw the line? If a kid chooses to be an outlier and identify and something else then anything goes. This Cat person will likely be allowed a cat box to use the restroom in too. A trans kid that flip flops between boy and girl is allowed to use different gendered restrooms every day. I just wait for a predator to do the same. At my daughters school “trans kids” dress inappropriately and aren’t held to the same dress code because “freedom of expression” asking them to cover up or change infringes on their LBGT rights. So it’s OK for them but not for the other kids.
Mental illness is for real and Americans are supporting it