Parents of firstborn male and female infants completed questionnaires concerning their perceptions of their infants. One question focused on how important it was for their children to become either very masculine or very feminine. It was predicted that the less parents stressed the importance of gender appropriateness, the less they would view their children in a traditional sex-stereotyped fashion. This prediction held true only for fathers of girls. Mothers of girls actually showed a trend toward the opposite tendency, while mothers and fathers of boys revealed no distinct overall patterns. For fathers but not for mothers, ratings of the importance of their children's developing gender appropriateness, independence, and high achievement were significantly positively correlated. More research developing and refining the concept of parental cognitive commitment to the sex of the child was recommended. (Author/RH)