Your son comes home and says he wants to be transgender. What do you do?

 

I can relate to that, imagine your kiddo walks in one day and drops the bomb: "Hey, Mom/Dad, I'm transgender." Whoa, right? What do you even do with that?

First thing's first, and this is a biggie: listen. Like, really listen. This isn't some phase they're going through for kicks. This is them sharing something super personal and probably scary with you. Your job one-million-percent is to hear them out, no judgment, just open ears and an open heart.

Next up? Believe them. They've likely spent a lot of time figuring this out, and trusting their gut is huge. Your support here can make all the difference in the world.

Then comes the "what now?" part. Honestly, you might not have all the answers, and that's okay! The best thing you can do is learn. Look up what being transgender means, find resources, maybe even connect with other families who've been through this. There are tons of amazing organizations out there that can help guide you both.

And most importantly? Love them. Unconditionally. This is still your child, the same awesome person they've always been. Their journey of self-discovery might look a little different than you expected, but your love and support are the most important things they need.

It might feel overwhelming, and that's totally normal. Take a breath. You've got this. You and your kiddo will figure it out together.

What would you do? Seriously curious to hear different perspectives in the comments!

Keywords: transgender, parenting, family, coming out, support, love, understanding, acceptance, child, identity

Tags for Quora: #parenting #transgender #familylife #supportyourkids #acceptance #lovewins #genderidentity #raisingteenagers #communication #familyfirst