by Mister Alexander

Created on: March 16, 2010

The process of going from living as one gender to living as another is a very strenuous process for most people. There is no wrong or right way to tell your parents and/or guardians that you are transitioning from one gender to another. It is not something you just dive right into either, you should take the time out and think about what you are going to say and if you are able to answer the questions that you may receive. You must also be mentally and emotionally prepared that there is a chance that they will not accept you for who you are. Many parents will not understand why their child doesn't want to be the boy or girl they gave birth to and you cannot be mad at them if they seem frustrated at first. You must be willing to take the time to help the understand what you are going through.

When I told my mother that I was going to transition, I sent her an email explaining my choices and why I have to do transition to be content with my life. I was extremely scared and nervous and I knew that there was a large chance that my mother would not accept it, or even disown me due to her strong religious beliefs. Luckily for me though, she did not do either but said she had many questions and did not understand why I would want to do such a thing.

Not everyone can send their parent an email and it go over as it did with me, other people I know have sat down with their parents and told them face to face. You have to choose the best route for both of you and ready to accept the decision that your parents may come to whether it be good or bad. The stake are even higher if you still live under their roof; you will have to be ready to move out and be on your own if it comes down to it.

The best advice I can give anyone is make sure you have a good friend that supports you in all of your endeavors even if your family is there for you. Also take the time to find other people near you that you can talk to that are transition too, because you are not alone even when you feel like you are. There are hundreds of people in the US that may have been through what you have been through or just there to  talk to you when you are feeling overwhelmed. There are also homes/shelters for younger individuals who have been kicked out by their parents because they told their parents what you are ready to tell yours.

Think things through and prepare yourself for the worst that way if everything goes well you have nothing to worry about.

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