Six months later...
I decided to write about my trans-identified adult daughter last summer. It had been a few months since she announced her new identity, and I had been struggling with the best way forward. I knew I could not affirm her identity, but I also would never reject her. I felt my way to a third path, the path of connection, as I think of it.
Now, on the six month anniversary of writing as Walk With Mom and having reached 200 subscribers here (thank you!), I am re-posting my first ever Substack publication. Many of my readers will be familiar with this piece or the ideas in this piece, but some may be seeing it for the first time.
Thank you to Reality's Last Stand for first giving me a platform and inspiring me to share more of my parenting journey. It has been both humbling and encouraging to join the multitudes of Substack parents facing this destabilizing circumstance. It takes practice to show up with compassion and authenticity for our trans-identified children; it is exactly this practice that helps us grow into the parents they need us to be.
This deeply resonated when I first read it, and unfortunately it still applies to my current relationship with my daughter. We are trying to walk similar paths.