Discussion forum for parents in Australia
10-22-2021 08:06 AM
My 10 yr old daughter has told us that she wants to be a boy. During summer sleep away
camp she told everyone her name was Jonah. This made my 12 yr. old daughter staying
at the same camp feel hurt and left out. Sad that her sister couldn't confide in her 1st about
her plans. That she had to hear about it from the other kids.
My 10 yr old likes to dress in soccer clothes and has short hair. I happen to be ok with this
look because I have always worn my hair short and edgy. I am also a BIG believer in expressing
your individuality, be it in fashion, hair or verbally. But when she wanted to change her name, which happens to be a gender neutral name, I felt a bit hurt.
I definitely want to support her but I also don't want to make any mistakes that can't take back.
And I certainly don't want to push her into any direction.
10-22-2021 01:58 PM
Thank you for sharing with us @DOart09I'm glad you decided to because this is actually something lots of families chat about here. You are not alone in wanting to be supportive, whilst also wrestling with your own grief.
You sound like an accepting parent and I love that you encourage individuality. I'm sure that helped your child to feel comfortable telling the world who they are.
In saying that, I can imagine how you and your daughter must feel after finding this news from other kids. Is there anyone supporting you through this? I bet it's a lot to think through.
We're here to listen and help in any way we can. There's a bunch of resources on our site about gender and teenagers - If you're interested in having a read you can check it out here.
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