Cher thinks Chaz Bono is a smart girl, err, boy!

Looks as if working the "Burlesque" promo circuit has Cher opening up more than a cancan skirt.

The singer speaks out about her daughter Chastity Bono, who last year underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a man -- Chaz.

"If I woke up tomorrow in a guy's body, I would just kick and scream and cry and ... rob a bank, because I cannot see myself as anything but who I am -- a girl. I would not take it as well as Chaz has. I couldn't imagine it," the legendary performer tells Vanity Fair.

"She's a very smart girl -- boy! This is where I get into trouble ... I still don’t remember to call her 'him.' "

Cher is aware of what being a show-business mother cost her. She answered honestly when asked if, try as she might, her children are still angry over her shortcomings as a parent.

"I think Chaz is pretty much finished with it, and I think Elijah has a little longer to go, but they both really love me a lot. But it's hard," she said.

"So your kids pay. I did the best I could do, and yet it was definitely lacking."

This interview certainly wasn't. Tell us your thoughts on Cher's sharing in the comments section below.

-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Cher at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards in January in Beverly Hills. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

"Chaz Bono is now legally a man"

"Chaz Bono asks court to make new name, gender official"

"Chaz Bono speaks out -- happily, and in a much lower voice"

Comments

[william]

Cher continues to stay on top after all these years. We can only advise our children we can't make them be how they aren't

[highlander]

Wow. What a quick, celebrity cop-out for being an awful parent: "I did the best I could do..." In other words..."that's the best I could do while still feeding my ego."

[B]

Parents do a lot more than just advise their children. They can make their life a living hell too. Who decides who gets their kids taken away from them? I know that there are many kids that probably would love to be taken away from their home if they knew that such a thing even existed. Who knows if Cher was a good mother to her children or not? That is something that only she and her children will ever know...