Do other young TSs feel like...

[Ryuu]

you are missing out on being a teenager, in some way?
I see all my guy friends, who are happy, getting girlfriends, having fun, living life basically, and I feel sometimes like I'm missing out on that because of having these problems. Anyone else feel like that?

[Luna!]

I don't exactly qualify as a teenager anymore, though I guess I could manage it...
(I'm twenty-three, but have been occasionally mistaken for 18-19  )

When I was nineteen, I was doing a student exchange trip. Everyone at the school was wonderfully friendly, cute girls, the whole deal. But I spent the whole year sitting alone at my desk, trying not to cry because I could barely talk to anyone; it was like being on the other side of a glass wall.

Seriously. They loved the exchange students; I was almost like a pop idol. People would kill for the level of popularity I had. And I couldn't respond to anything because I was terrified of how they would react if they saw who I really was.

It turns out, they would like me even more; I did a little 'act-like-a-girl' thing for a few days when I couldn't stand it anymore, which went over well. I might have pulled off a complete social transition if I'd stuck with it; I couldn't imagine a better response, it was basically "Hey! Luna is a girl now! Cool". But years of repression don't give up easily. That psychological block came back and hit me over the head, and Luna went back to crying in the corner. 11 months of constant opportunity wasted.

I'm fighting this block right now, and have only been able to make progress because of a friend who made the first move, and the second move, and the third, and refuses to give up. Even so, progress is very slow.

So, the short form of my longwinded, angsty confession (which I sincerely apologize for) is, yes. I feel like that too.

[Northern Jane]

It was a long time ago but that was EXACTLY what I felt like!

From my early teens I lived part of my life en femme, whenever I could get away from home for a weekend (or when I ran away, which was often) and it was wonderful to be able to live a normal life for those short periods of time. By my later teens it became a lot harder. My friends were (as you say) evolving into serious relationships, become sexually active, and I couldn't, not in the 1960's! They were growing up and I was STUCK, I couldn't go any farther! I quit living part time because it was too painful, too much of a tease, and started to sink into depression. If SRS hadn't become possible when I was 24, I would not have lived to 25 but it DID and I am still here 35.5 years later 

[shanetastic]

I feel like that from time to time. (no longer a "teen" but I still think 21 is semi young)

I do spend probably a lot more time than the average person doing school stuff, volunteering, and etc but I figure it will be worth it down the line.  And while I did miss the teens, I am so so so so happy that they're over with.  It was so horrible of a time that I never want to go back and be a teen haha.  Besides I have the mid 20s to look forward too if I can ever manage to get somewhere in my transition.

[YellowDaisy]

i already missed out on childhood.

[LordKAT]

What teen life. All I had was teen strife.

[Keroppi]

I'm sad that I missed out growing up as a girl. I look at teens and uni girls and think I wish I had that. But then I realise, I'm only mid-20s, at least I have (hopefully) many years ahead of me as a woman. Now I just need a job so I can be independent, move along, and get there....

[Silver]

you are missing out on being a teenager, in some way?
I see all my guy friends, who are happy, getting girlfriends, having fun, living life basically, and I feel sometimes like I'm missing out on that because of having these problems. Anyone else feel like that?

Yeah well. . . I won't really experience it as a guy. Won't get a girlfriend most likely.

I figure though, being born male wouldn't really change very much. I'm not too social and having a penis wouldn't really make me more social. It might improve sexual experiences though. I'd probably be even more insecure since less dominant guys get picked on.

Although my guy friends would probably take me more seriously. Oh yeah, and I'd be a better runner  And probably more attractive as a guy than a "masculine woman."

So I guess it's somewhere in the middle.

[Teknoir]

My teen years have passed - but my transition basically has me picking up my life almost where I left it when I was 17 - only growing into manhood rather than running away from womanhood.

I think what makes the teen years so special is that "finding yourself", the transition into independant adulthood, and the new experiances. I'm finding that those are things we can do at any age - it's just that most people do them as teenagers.

I'm having too much fun right now getting it all together as a mid 20's man, that I really don't regret missing out on being a teenager 

High school and teenagers are overrated. Don't sweat it - nobody is as cool, mature or as happy as they seem. At that age, they're all as awkward and uncertain as you are. The people who tell you that their teenage years were the best years of their lives, have lead boring soul crushing adulthoods.

[Debra]

you are missing out on being a teenager, in some way?
I see all my guy friends, who are happy, getting girlfriends, having fun, living life basically, and I feel sometimes like I'm missing out on that because of having these problems. Anyone else feel like that?

Always. I think a lot about what it would've been like to grow up as a girl...how different I would've been, how much more comfortable with myself I might've been (as comfortable as you can be going thru puberty hah). I think I missed out on a LOT.

[K8]

I've spent too much time on regrets.  I refuse to give them any more energy.  What is past is past and can't be changed.  With luck I've learned a little from it all, but other than that I'm looking only to the future as the person I always should have been:

Kate

[Silver]

(as comfortable as you can be going thru puberty hah).

Much more comfortable than one is going through the wrong puberty.

[Evan]

Maybe you're missing out because you think you have a problem.. when the only problem is you're making yourself miss out.

[junpei]

I do feel like that when I end up stressing out over things. If I look out the window of my mind and see past the huge neon sign flashing "transgender", I discover that as long as I'm comfortable with myself [which does not neccessarily mean that I am comfortable with my body, because I'm not] I'm going to enjoy my life more. I gues what I'm trying to say is that, every victory you make in the world to presenting as your gender is wonderful, but you have to capture the better moments and hold onto those when it gets hard.

But then again, as a person with aspergers, I miss out on a lot socially no matter what.

[Walter]

I get where you're coming from. I look at other teen guys and feel the same. But I think that if I were born biologically male, my teen life would've turned out a lot different than it is. Probably for the worse

But yeah, in a way I feel like I'm missing out

[gothique11]

I'm 31, but ppl think I'm in my teens sometimes, or in my early 20's. I keep reverse aging... younger and younger every year. o_0

[Laura91]

I'm 31, but ppl think I'm in my teens sometimes, or in my early 20's. I keep reverse aging... younger and younger every year. o_0

I get that too and I am 32.

I think that the only thing that would have changed if I had been born as a genetic female is that I wouldn't have GID screwing me up (which obviously is a good thing.) Other than that I still would have been an outcast, still would have been labeled as weird by people so not that much would have changed in a lot of ways

[The None Blonde]

Gotta love how people that dont actually qualify to respond to the topic decide to give thier 2cents anyway about how they 'feel' like a teenager... Its not the question..


To answer that, Yeah, actually, I did and do Aaron. Earlier on, (Transitioned at 19) I felt like a bystander, friends got into relationships, did things i couldnt, and I was left as a mere spectator. Happier... dont get me wrong, but i felt like i was missing something. In my earlier teens, I didn't date, i didn't go to all the partys at school... I was a sort of social pariah. I missed out there, but was too deep in depression to really realise it. I guess i miss the fact, but I don't lement it, I have my life now, and im pulling out of the teen nose dive, which for me, culminated in an attempted suicide, then transition sucessfully. All that matters is we actually progress... and living in the past can harm that. Remember it... but dont live it. Otherwise you neglect the present and the future, and thats where we can change things and be happy.

[Nicky]

Gotta love how people that dont actually qualify to respond to the topic decide to give thier 2cents anyway about how they 'feel' like a teenager... Its not the question..

Gotta love how people don't get that topics can drift and that in most cases it is essentially harmless . But if you really want to be nit picky None Blonde the original question suggests that it is for transexuals that are currently teens of which you are not, but we appreciate your 2 cents regardless  . If you are really worried about it we would rather you simply report it to the mods rather than vent in the forums. Lets keep it positive people.

Cheers
Nicky

[maidenprincess]

I transitioned right as I went into college.  I don't think I'm missing out on anything, in fact, I think I'm at the perfect point in transitioning for me.  I'm dating, I'm doing my school work, I'm going out to parties on occasion and doing what a lot of girls my age (21) are doing.  So I have to worry about getting hormones, and sometimes I worry about passing, or being around safe people.  So what?  Everyone has problems.  Mine just happen to be gender.

As for missing high school and teenager times, I don't.  I observed my girl friends getting into stupid situations and it taught me what to avoid for the future me.  I am actually glad I could learn a few things so I could move on and "catch up" quickly without any hangups.