My mom did her best i know, but she was always pointing out how "different" i was from other boys. She did these even subconsciously and it hurt a lot because it told me that on many levels i did not belong. No matter what i did that was masculinish, (Football, Baseball, Motocross) there was always something different about me to her. I did not understand until later, why.
When i started to become more and more feminine in mannerisms, dress etc. She claimed that i would face danger, that society did not approve of feminine men etc. People would beat me up in dark alleys even though i was pretty athletic and capable of defending myself.
Later and partially influenced by my sister, she softened and began to accept me. By my early 20s she was buying unisex and women's clothes for me at Christmas. Still, I distinctly remember her questioning my wife along the lines of "are you lesbian leaning? Why would you fall in love with a feminine guy?" Traditional notions of gender expression are pretty hard to shake for much of her generation.
Later in life, i remember coming home to visit one day and she said i looked "pretty". That simple statement of acceptance meant the world to me.
