"Mama, I'm still five and a girl, right?"

Lately, Skye has been asking daily, "Mama, I'm still five and I'm a girl, right?" Although it's starting to get a bit annoying, it made me think about how deeply our identity is tied to our gender.

Skye is thrilled to be a girl. She loves shoes and bags and dresses and outfits. She came down to have dinner yesterday dressed in a princess gown, armed with her magic wand. Her favorite colors are pink and purple and her favorite movie is Princess and Frog. She loves being a girl. She's even gotten me to embrace my inner-girl and add a lot of pink to my wardrobe.

So, I have been watching Dancing with the Stars this season because I am fascinated by Chaz Bono's story. He is an inspiration and has shed so much light on what it means to be transgendered. Because his famous parents, who are music legends, he's had to do this with an international spotlight shining on his every decision. I've followed him since last year when the documentary which captured his transition was released. At that time, he was still in the early stages of his transition and was struggling with people's varied reactions to his choices, especially his mom's reaction. Now, he seems to be joyful and fully authentic. I think Cher's reaction last week on DWTS mirrored the joy that so many of us are feeling on his behalf.

I am blessed to have been given a body that mirrors my gender identity. I may be critical of the extra pounds on my frame, but I don't have to go through hormone treatments and surgeries to get my physical body to match my gender identity. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for the millions of transgendered people in the world today, who feel imprisoned in a body that doesn't match their identity.

I'm also blessed that both of our children are blessed with bodies that reflect their identities. Although gender falls on a spectrum, there is no doubt that Hunter is happy being a boy and Skye is happy being a girl. I only wish that Chaz didn't have to wait until he was 40 before he felt at home with himself. I hope that the joy he feels now is abundant enough to compensate for the years of feeling trapped. I'm incredibly proud of him and hope that his inspiration begins to chip away at society's ignorance surrounding gender identity and expression.