Father of the Year Looks to Reddit for Advice on Raising a Trans Child

The coming out experience has shifted throughout the past decade or so. Something that was once met with such fear and hostility has become a beautiful coming of age moment. As attitudes become more progressive, friends and families are learning how to be supportive of their queer loved ones.

Perhaps the internet is to thank for this new era of acceptance. It wasn’t long ago that we didn’t have the resources so readily at our disposal to ask the most basic of questions. Now that we find ourselves in the post “It Gets Better” era, that’s changed.

#GrowingupTrans

Siblings: Why do you always pick the female characters

Me: pic.twitter.com/q9DdJI8RfC

— Marlo! (@skim_melk) January 21, 2018

One dad, who goes by PerdroXerxes on Reddit, recently taught us all how parenting is done. It requires a very open mind and just enough humility to seek out answers to questions you never thought to ask.

He started off by explaining that his six-year-old has recently been “lashing out with violence,” and that three separate daycares had even kicked him out for hitting other kids. But when Pedro explained to him what transgender meant during a casual conversation about a trans cousin, his son immediately resonated.

“The moment the explanation left my lips, my child sat up and excitedly said ‘THAT’S ME! I’m a boy! I don’t like it when people call me a girl!’”

Trans safety > Cis feelings

— Sonny Oram (@SonnyOram) January 29, 2018

Although he didn’t immediately take his son seriously, he honored his son’s wishes and called him a handsome boy and referring to him as his son. But upon doing some research, he found that trans identification can come about as early as three-years-old. And after his son remained insistent that he was a boy, the father helped him come out to friends and family and begin the process of transitioning, which has already created an attitude adjustment in the young boy.

But by turning to Reddit with three questions, he’s already done more than most parents do in making an effort to understand their LGBTQ children.

“1) What are some things you wish your parents had done for you? 2) What are some potential pitfalls I should avoid? 3) Is there anything I can do that I haven’t already mentioned to be a better ally?”

Read the entire post below:

My 6-year-old child just came out as trans. Help me be a good father. from r/ftm