After claiming the school allowed her boy to wear a dress, one Kansas mother has pulled her son from preschool.
Stay-at-home mother, Kayla Bedford, 24, withdrew her son, Zach, 2, from the private Christian school in Wichita, Kansas, Bethany Early Childhood Center Center after her girlfriend allegedly saw the young boy “parading around in a dress” after she dropped him off that morning.
After saying goodbye to her son, Kayla’s girlfriend turned to see that the 2-year-old was putting on a dress.
“She came back into the classroom and took off the dress saying, ‘We don’t do this’ in front of the teacher,” Kayla shared with Yahoo Lifestyle. “I am a lesbian, but I don’t push my son in any direction. Whatever he decides to do or wear in the future is his decision.”
Kayla said she came into the school later that day to speak with the teacher and says that as she walked into the classroom, she saw that her son was putting on the dress again as the teacher stood over him.
“I pulled his teacher aside and explained that I don’t condone my son wearing a dress at school,” says Kayla. “She just laughed and said, ‘He’s only two!’”
Kayla then phoned Malcolm, her father, to meet her at the school.
Malcolm then approached Zach’s teacher, recording the interaction on his cellphone while kids played nearby.
“My daughter called and said she had an issue with my grandson being in a dress, I’m trying to see what the issue is.” he said.
The teacher then said Malcolm should talk to the school director, to which he responded saying: “We don’t do the transgender [thing].
“He’s two,” the teacher shot back in the video.
According to pediatrician Jack Maypole, MD, dress-up is a very common pastime for kids, including young boys. Dr. Maypole also shared how it is a helpful tool in exploring one’s gender identity, he told Parenting.
This type of play also helps children develop both empathy and creativity and regardless of the child’s gender or sex, there is nothing bad about playing and exploring gender-bending.
So if your child is interested in being a pirate over a princess, do not sound off any alarms!
But Kayla says her requests were not addressed and there was no reasoning behind why here son wore a dress on two instances.
Kayla also fears that because her son is the only African-American boy in the class that he may face discrimination. She also mentions how the school lacks dress-up clothes for boys.
In a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, a school representative shared:
“At Bethany Early Childhood Center we put our children first and foremost. We encourage our children to play in a Christ-centered atmosphere that we hope will allow them to gain confidence and learn to interact with others in a positive way. Our primary responsibility is to our children and part of that is protecting their privacy, because of this we are unable to comment on specific incidents involving a child in our care.”
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