Your ability to act on every piece of advice listed here will depend on the age of your child, your family dynamic, and how long they have been ruminating on their transgender ideation.
Remove Toxic Influences:
- Cut internet and trans influences as much as possible, including taking their smart phone.
- Remove from school if they are being affirmed and/or parental rights are not honored.
- If you are not in a safe state and can move, do it. Don’t hesitate.
Parent is a verb.
- Repair relationship with your child. Spend one-on-one time with your child. Spend time outside, travel, go on walks.
- If you have not been an authoritative parent until now, work to change your parenting style.
- Get child involved in activities that are in person outside the home and not related to gender.
- Affirm their pain, but not the identity.
- Don’t engage in power struggles with your child over this issue.
- Stay calm and tell them your job as a parent is to protect them and the parenting choices you are making is out of love and protection for them.
- Ask questions that instil critical thinking skills from a place of curiosity and compassion, not judgment.
- Assure child of your unconditional love.
- Get child to commit to no medical interventions until their brain is fully developed and
- they are financially independent.
- Set healthy boundaries that allow them to self-express, but not social or medical transition.
- It is never too late to walk a decision back, including initial affirmation of the identity.
- Join a parent support group like Our Duty
- Take care of yourself.
Stay the course.
- Be firm in truth and love.
- You are the expert of your child.
- Use your parental authority to protect your child.