The XX Factor: What women really think.

Ponder This, Parents of Pop

Reading Hanna's and Dana's posts about a Swedish couple's attempts to raise a gender-free child, I’m struck by how pointless it is for parents to try to program their children.

Of course, I think it's awesome and essential that parents make a conscious effort to raise open-minded kids (by discussing the sort of issues that Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson addressed in their piece about childrens' responses to Obama becoming president, for example), but there are some things you just can't control—like how other people respond to your child.