Priscilla - Mother of a Trans* Son
When my son was born, the doctors and I had mistaken him for a girl just because we did not see a penis. For six years I had dressed my son in polka dot dresses, let his hair grow long and used female pronouns. Then just after my son's 7th birthday, he drew a self-portrait of himself with short hair and told me quite clearly "I am a boy stuck in the wrong body" and this is how our journey began.
For many in our family this was confusing and they couldn't understand, my son was never withdrawn or suicidal. I have embraced my son and let him express himself as he chose to. I let him be the one to tell me when he wanted to get rid of his old girl clothes. I let him be the one to tell me when he wanted to socially transition. Sure as a parent I was nervous. But since I began to let him be "he" there was an added sparkle to his smile.
I'm not saying there isn't any challenging times, there are, but we have each other. There are far too many positive things to focus on. Being a parent to a transgender child can be a wonderful , loving learning experience. There are many gifts our children give to us, just by being who they are.
They open up their souls to us in such a way that it can provide a connection so deep that no amount of negativity from others can break. They give us the gift of learning how to love unconditionally. This lets us truly be able to accept and respect others no matter how different they may be.
I have learned how to filter out the negative influences in our lives and learn from them. I have learned that there are many things I used to waste time worrying about. The most important thing I have learned is to enjoy each and every second with my son that I can. I find myself silently watching him as he enjoys living his life as he truly was meant to. He is a brave, confident young man... a trail blazer. I feel so honored that I am his mother and so proud to
call him my son.
Priscilla - Mom to Jay, 9 year old Transgender son
For many in our family this was confusing and they couldn't understand, my son was never withdrawn or suicidal. I have embraced my son and let him express himself as he chose to. I let him be the one to tell me when he wanted to get rid of his old girl clothes. I let him be the one to tell me when he wanted to socially transition. Sure as a parent I was nervous. But since I began to let him be "he" there was an added sparkle to his smile.
I'm not saying there isn't any challenging times, there are, but we have each other. There are far too many positive things to focus on. Being a parent to a transgender child can be a wonderful , loving learning experience. There are many gifts our children give to us, just by being who they are.
They open up their souls to us in such a way that it can provide a connection so deep that no amount of negativity from others can break. They give us the gift of learning how to love unconditionally. This lets us truly be able to accept and respect others no matter how different they may be.
I have learned how to filter out the negative influences in our lives and learn from them. I have learned that there are many things I used to waste time worrying about. The most important thing I have learned is to enjoy each and every second with my son that I can. I find myself silently watching him as he enjoys living his life as he truly was meant to. He is a brave, confident young man... a trail blazer. I feel so honored that I am his mother and so proud to
call him my son.
Priscilla - Mom to Jay, 9 year old Transgender son