Parents Of Transgender And Nonbinary Children And Teens Are Sharing Their Stories, And It's Important
Note: Answers have been edited for length and clarity."Let your kids read books about people like them. Most libraries have curated lists that are super user-friendly and helpful!"—Anonymous, parent of a nonbinary 8-year-old"Your kid isn’t going to feel supported and accepted if you complain that you don’t like their new name or ‘just don’t understand’ nonbinary pronouns to them.I struggled a lot with my child’s use of the word ‘deadname’ to describe the birth name we chose to honor a beloved relative who has since passed.
It felt hurtful and disrespectful to their memory, but those conversations were for my therapist and a friend of mine who also has a trans child.
It’s okay to have feelings about changes to your child’s identity, but it’s not your child’s job to help you work through them." —Anonymous, parent of a nonbinary 16-year-old"Do whatever it takes to get your child to a place where they can feel safe."—Anonymous, parent of an transgender 18-year-old"I'd always thought I was very progressive and open in my worldviews, but I found my second born's declaration they were a boygirl (as they described it) more confronting than I expected.
I'd loved having a little version of my own gender, and didn't want to lose this. I'm constantly amazed by the levels of self-awareness and intuition this new generation have, and when we attend drag shows or pride events together, I get so much love and support from the community for supporting my child's identity.
