Wayne Maines
Father, storyteller, and advocate for change
Age 5 Is Not too Early to Learn Your Child Might Be Transgender
Posted: 05/22/2012 11:40 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-maines/transgender-children_b_1535470.htmlI read the Washington Post's "Transgender at Five" piece this week and though I could provide additional feedback to help other parents understand what transgender children and their parents really go through.
I was fortunate enough to watch my identical twins babies grow and develop unique and diverse personalities. At each stage of development, I witnessed a minor miracle, including a special child that could not be ignored. I watched both twins played with trucks, dolls and wrestle, but Wyatt (Now Nicole) always returned to watching, playing and acting the female part. Then when the twins began to speak, I had difficulty answering her questions. Worse yet, I was not listening. (See this Boston Globe article.)
The questions continued, and as they became more frequent, my inability to look for answers was very harmful. On their 6th birthday we had a big birthday party and we invited a number of families from our new town. As everyone was arriving, I saw Wyatt coming down the stairs in his princess dress, wig and wand. He was so happy and excited. I froze for a moment and knew what I was going to say would break his heart. I really thought I was doing the right thing.
