Coming out to children and being taken seriously

[finntastic]

Hi I'm Finn, ftm pre-everything, and I'm currently out to my parents and my best friend  I'm visiting family in Scotland in two weeks and likely won't see them for another year so I'm planning on doing lots of coming out then.

I'll be seeing my younger cousins aged 8/11 and I'm not sure how to handle the topic with them. One also has a learning disability (I don't know exactly what) that means he doesn't cope well with change and finds it hard to get his head around some topics.

I'm also, in my opinion, cursed with a very feminine face and figure and I currently have a longer haircut (I'm just lazy and a broke student, I'd much rather have short hair) so I'm worried that some of my family that I talk to won't take me seriously.

[Elis]

Might be best to send an email to them beforehand; that way you can get your thoughts in order. If you're not especially close to them best just to get straight to the point 'I'm trans, go by this name and pronouns and if you have any questions feel free to ask'. If they refuse to be understanding then that's their problem and it's best to ignore them.

As for telling children; although tbh I have no experience with this personally but it's best to keep it simple by saying my brain is wired to be male although my body doesn't match that and it's a common birth thing to be born as (the child with a learning disability may understand this better). You could also give them a book or two about being trans; they're a few out now aimed for children.

Just to add you could get a shorter haircut before visiting. That extra boost to your confidence may help.

Good luck

[Jacqueline]

Hi Finn,

Sorry I am late getting around to this. Welcome to the site. Thanks for joining.

I find most kids are a lot more accepting of this than adults. Unless their parents have taught them to have prejudiced beliefs. I think the email is a good idea.

I also want to share some links with you. They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment:

Things that you should read

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)
Reputation rules	News posting & quoting guidelines	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy

Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna