“Having kids — the responsibility of rearing good, kind, ethical, responsible human beings — is the biggest job anyone can embark on. As with any risk, you have to take a leap of faith and ask lots of wonderful people for their help and guidance. I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity toparent.”

While parenting can be one of the most rewarding parts of the human experience, it can also be a challenge. Many parents face obstacles such as economic concerns and emotional barriers while trying to do their best to raisehappy, healthy future adults.

Estimates suggest that .7%of children age 13-17 identify as transgender or gender non-binary, many parents may also feel, and be, unprepared to parent a kid who identifies as transgender.

What Does it Mean to be Transgender?

However,scientists believe that more than two sexes exist, challenging our ideals of the sexual (and gender) binary. There is still much to learn in this area to better understand all of our variance as beings and how that may or may not impact ouridentitiesas gendered beings.

As a therapist who works regularly with people who identify as transgender, I can tell you that many of my clients have reported that identifying as trans can be quite scary and painful.

Your Child Comes Out…What Next?

If your child has come to you and identified themself as trans, the best thing that you can do is to provide emotional support to your child. In that moment, the best thing that you can do is reassure your child that youlovethem and will continue to support them. As a tip, some folks don’t warmly receive the “no matter what” that’s very often attached to the end of that message. It implies that you will love themdespitetheir identity. “I love you, and will do my best to support you” is simple and works beautifully!

Tips from a LGBTQ Therapist

Here are some points from anLGBTQ therapistyou may wish to consider:

Taking the Next Steps Forward

Providing support can look different for every family and having a childcome out as transcan change a lot in the dynamics of a family. Thankfully, there are many resources out there to provide encouragement and support.

As a parent, you can work with an LGBTQ-affirming therapist with experience in addressinggenderissues in therapy. They may be able to guide and aid you in your own journey of supporting your child’s health and wellness. Additionally, you may want to consider individual orfamily therapywith your child as they learn to navigate what being trans means to them.

You may also look for support from local LGBTQ groups, many of which host workshops, presentations, and support groups for a wide range of issues, including parent-focused support. More schools than ever now offer support around these topics, and may also be appropriate places to seek out help.

Most importantly, your child coming out as trans may have a big impact on you as a parent. Many parents of LGBTQ folks experience a wide range of emotions in this process: from grief and confusion, to joy and acceptance. It’s often a journey for all involved.

Having your own space to explore and be honest can be tremendously helpful so that you’re able to support your child in their journey of truly becoming themselves.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

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