Ottawa , Canada ( CNN ) -- The name 'Storm ' may be gender-neutral , but it is also listed as a synonym for controversy . And at just 4 months old , blond-haired , blue-eyed Storm and his Canadian family have stirred a parenting debate still brewing across continents . Kathy Witterick , 38 , and David Stocker , 39 are parents raising three children in Toronto . They feel children are pressured at far too tender an age by strict social norms of gender . And so , as a remedy , they felt it was better to keep the youngest child 's gender a secret -- even from the grandparents . According to a front-page article in the Toronto Star last week , the only ones who know the baby 's gender are the couple 's sons -- Jazz , 5 , and Kio , 2 -- a close family friend and two midwives present at delivery . Instead of the usual birth announcement of 'It 's a Boy ! ' or 'It 's a Girl ! ' , Stocker and Witterick sent out an e-mail announcement that said , `` We 've decided not to share Storm 's sex for now -- a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation , a stand up to what the world could become in Storm 's lifetime ( a more progressive place ? ... ) . '' Not yet , apparently . Comments about the article were so sharp and so divided that for now , the family has decided to decline any further media interviews . Calls to their home by CNN were not returned . A message on the family voicemail says , `` Thanks for your interest in this important discussion , but at the moment , we 're really swamped and our first priority is the needs of our family and especially our kids . So , leave a message if you 'd like and we 'll respond to it whenever we 're able . '' Witterick and Stocker may not be talking , but it seems everybody else is . From radio call-in shows all over the continent , to a `` hot topic '' discussion on ABC 's `` The View , '' few lacked an opinion . Most said they were either appalled by the couple or applauded them for their courage . `` They are shell-shocked by the reaction of people that have been quite vehement . They did n't really understand what would happen , '' said Joe Hall , managing editor of the Toronto Star . Hall said it was obvious from the very beginning -- even during meetings with his editorial staff -- that people could not help but express very divided opinions about the choice these parents are making . The article has become the newspaper 's most popular online story ever . One reader wrote : `` Wow , a good way to ruin your kid 's life . Gender has nothing to do with sexuality . I think the parents are going to the extreme here . And what did someone do ? Call all media and say , 'Hey all , these people are keeping their poor child 's gender a secret ' ? ? What 's the hidden agenda here ? A reality show ? A book ? Movie ? '' But others countered that the couple 's decision was inspiring . `` Bravo to these parents for bravely taking on the gender-biased world that labels children with stereotypes and gendered assumptions before they are even born ! '' one post read . `` All parenting is an experiment -- but most people are happy to let Disney or Mattel run the lab . I hope your beautiful little family will stay strong against the conservative attack . '' In a follow-up article written by the Toronto Star 's Jayme Poisson -- the only journalist so far to visit with the family -- the couple expressed dismay with all the reaction but says it is hopeful the debate can still be constructive . In the Toronto Star article , Witterick writes that , `` Is n't defensiveness sometimes a first sign of learning or changing behaviour , so even the 'rabid ' responses may have a place in making the world a more thoughtful place . ''
Couple decides to hide baby 's gender from the world . It says it is `` a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation '' but what does that mean? The couple has decided not to grant any more media interviews .