Understanding Being Transgender

Could the average person even imagine what it would be like to feel like they are a stranger in their own body?

Most adolescents go through a period of adjustment as their bodies change and they go through puberty. Many question their sexuality. Being transgender is not about questioning who you are attracted to but what sex you are.

What if you felt that you were in the wrong body and you felt that way before puberty even hit?

This is what happened to my child except he was unable to understand what was going on until he read about it somewhere and then everything just fell into place. The reason for his chronic depression and anxiety since the age of eight was due to being born a boy with a girl's body.

As a mom of 5 I treated my children as the individuals that they were. My oldest daughter was always high maintenance and very into her appearance. Her sister who was born 16 months after her was the total rough and tumble tomboy. Although they had similarities, my second daughter was always a little rougher. By the time my last child was born, my first 4 were older. My youngest was born into a girls body but it just never quite fit.

I didn't know about transgender children when he was growing up. My life was hectic raising 4 active children and balancing it all. The baby of the family was different than the others from the start. Around the age of eight everything started to change.

We had seen all along that this child was more headstrong and willful. At the time I blamed it on being the baby of the family. Suddenly around the age of eight he developed severe anxiety that paralyzed him. Many years of therapy and trials with different medications failed to "cure" what ailed my child. By the time he was a teenager his emotional state worsened. I just didn't know what to do anymore.

Finally he and I agreed that it was time to wean off psychiatric medications and clean out his system. We both felt the medications were not helping. It was around this time that he discovered what was ailing him. He felt that he was not in the right body.

As a parent who stood by her child, feeling helpless at times, I didn't fully embrace this revelation. I did think back and question his behaviors from an early age and wondered if they were signs of what he felt was the truth.

At this point in time I do believe that my daughter is actually my son but now I know we need help. He started a go fund me in order to help raise money for therapy and possibly the medical procedures necessary to live life as his true self.

Believe me, no parents wants for their child to be transgender. I know how closed minded many are on the subject. I just want my child to have a full life living it as who he was meant to be and for whatever reason, nature messed up. I do believe being transgender happens and it is not something that he will snap out of.

I have a link on this page if anyone wants to help in this journey. If you believe my child just needs therapy, fine. We will accept help even if you are not "on board" with the idea that my child knows who he is and needs help in making the transition.

Please leave me a comment about how you feel about our story.