A father has asked the internet for advice after his young son faced negative reactions from older kids and family members for his “feminine” behaviours.

The parent took to Reddit to explain that his four-year-old son “tends to mimic feminine mannerisms and behaviours, particularly when he’s around women or girls”.

“He seems to do this almost exclusively in the presence of female figures. From early on, he’s gravitated toward things typically associated with girlhood such as cooking, shows where girls play with dolls, and similar interests,” he added.

The parent noted he’s also “a typical toddler boy in many ways” and likes rough play and “traditionally ‘boy’ toys”.

While the parent loves how “expressive and imaginative” his son is, he has noticed family members “have started reacting negatively” and a group of older children “laughed and mocked him”.

The parent claimed he has stepped in on both occasions, asking family members not to discourage his son’s interests, and reminding the children “that it’s not kind to make fun of others”.

But he added he was unsure of how to be supportive going forward.

How to help your child be their authentic self

Counselling Directory member Olena Chechel told HuffPost UK that “as much as society has expanded on how it sees gender norms, there is still pressure to conform”.

In these situations, parents can help support their kids by validating their interests, she said. This means becoming invested in what they are interested in, and normalising their pull towards activities regardless of gender.

“Start to get curious. A parent can ask, ‘tell me what you like about this doll? What’s your favourite thing to cook?’ The goal of parenting is to allow children to........

© HuffPost