Mikey was wearing a skirt! And it didn't stop there. All of his clothing was girl's clothes! And yet Mikey still appeared to be a normal 8-year old boy. Jon couldn't stop staring.
"Jon?" Mikey asked. "I'm a boy, right?"
"Of course you are," said Jon. "Why would you think you were something else?"
"Well," said Mikey, obviously embaressed. "You know that I don't have a boy's parts between my legs, like you and Dad do, right? I have a girl's parts, like Mom and Zoe do. I have to pee sitting down and all. And Mom makes me wear girls clothes. But, if I'm a boy, why would I have all that?"
"You have a girl's parts?" Jon asked. This was so wrong, he thought. Mikey has a vagina?
"Yeah," said Mikey. "I saw Mom naked once, just by accident, and we have the same... stuff... between our legs. I asked Mom about it, why we have the same parts if I'm a boy and she's a girl. She got all embarressed and said that I was a he-femme or something like that and that I was a boy with girl's parts. I don't even know what any of that means. Why would boys and girls have to be different, you know, down there, at all, much less getting it mixed up at all?"
"Mom described it pretty good," said Jon, trying to improvise. "You're still a boy, and you'll always be my brother, regardless of what you wear. And having a girl's parts is just as good has having a boy's." Jon thought of something. "Do any of the other boys at school make fun of you?" Mikey wasn't at puberty yet, so he wasn't dealing with sex, but little kids could be worse than older ones.
"They tease me about my clothes and the way I pee," said Mikey, "but they don't do it so much anymore. At least I get to use boy's bathrooms and stuff and not the ones girls use."
"I'm sure its awkward, but we'll help you get through it," said Jon. That seemed to make Mikey feel better.
