Geesh, I remember when I was young, I wanted to be boy cuz it looked to me that they had fewer responsibilities than I did and also had more fun. Needless to say, that changed as I approached the teen years and recognized boys could be very useful to me LOL.
Good thing I wasn't born recently as if I had mentioned it, there may have been consequences I didn't take into consideration! Guess the difference is that I didn't "feel" I was a boy - I simply wanted to be one. How does a 3 or 5 year old express the difference between the two? Are they capable of understanding the difference?
Unfortunately, without assistance is figuring out the "feelings" and simply accepting what the child says is likely why so many are confused now-a-days. Seems feelings take precedence over common sense and a lot of kids are being hurt.
JMHO