My Son Sings "Let It Go"

Elsa belting it out

Yes, my son sings "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen at the top of his voice. He's had a moment where he sings, "A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen...heehee...king." He's tried the "boy version" but most of the time he lapses into the queen part and "be the good girl you always have to be." And you know what? It doesn't bother me at all. I just let him be.

There was a time that well-meaning friends would comment about him playing with his sister's Barbie dolls. "Hinuhubaran naman niya at hindi binibihisan?" (He takes off their clothes and he doesn't put them on, right?). Hmmmm. So, a male's role is to undress a female? Pretty narrow, right? But I let him be. He likes role playing too and turning everything into a gun or weapons or stuff that blasts into the air. I am assured that he's very male because of this tendency. The thing is, it bothers me because I don't like the idea of war and violence. But I let him be. He doesn't really know yet the concept of war and the pain of war and violence. To him it's a game. It's an adventure. It has nothing to do yet about death and pain. But there will be a time when we will talk about it. I still have to think through this whole gender thing. I'd rather he sing "Let It Go" than pretend that everything is a gun. But I let him be.

Just last year there was a whole to-do in the news about "discouraging early tendencies of homesexuality" in a parenting article. The thing is...with all that I've learned so far about homesexuality (you're born with it...it's not a choice you make) and my own good friends who are homosexual...I don't have a problem with it at all. I don't care. I love my son. Just the way he is. And I love learning more and more about him and his complex mind. There's more to him than his sexual orientation. He is a wonderful human being.

So, after a bout of singing, I did an interview.

Me: Why do you like "Let It Go?"
B: I like shouting the song.
Me: What do you mean by "shouting the song?"
B: I'm happy when I sing it.
Me: Oh. How do you think Elsa feels when she's singing it?
B: She's happy because she's free. She can make her own castle. She can even make her own bodyguard!
Me: Is that how you feel when you sing the song?
B: Yes! That's how I feel.
Me: Why does it have to be loud?
B: Because that's how it is.
Me: What do you mean by that?
B: Because it makes me feel that I'm singing to God.
Me: So, singing to God has to be loud?
B: Sometimes I sing it medium. And the rest, I sing it loud, with a strong heart.

I really do learn a lot from my son. And I love this particular Disney movie. There's a whole other article that talks about the merits of this animated film, especially for daughters. But you know what? It was great for my son. It has bent the gender stereotype. For my son, Elsa is a hero...regardless of whether she's a girl or a boy. She's free. And that's something that he sees is worth being. Free and happy. Having a strong heart is not a gender territory. It's for everyone. That's just amazing! We're not even talking about true love yet...true love being defined as a selfless act for another.

He loves the song so much that he wants to learn the song on violin (violin lessons was one of the things he asked for...totally not forced on him). I'm glad we homeschool him. Imagine how other boys would treat him in an all-boy's school if he suddenly belted out "Let It Go?" Maybe he wouldn't even dream of singing it aloud. I love my son's heart and how he sees the world. I wish I could be more like him. :-)