I can't fathom what it must/would/will be like to address this all with my parents and closest friends, in all honesty. I've spent the evening coming out to my SO, showing her videos and explaining things to her. She has no real exposure to trans or gender issues so it was a valuable experience, and she's completely accepting and happy for me. So that's a massive relief, allowing me to explore this both here and at home is a wonderful thing.Welcome Kyuuji! Glad to have you here. It is scary. Sometimes I get so anxious that people who care about me, who mean well, ask me if I wouldn't be happier if I turned back.
I know full well I wouldn't. I may not know 100% who I am, but I know I'm not cis. Even when it was "easy" to lie about that, I had lots of problems.
I'm pretty sure every NB/trans person I've run across has had to deal with some degree of imposter syndrome. I also have literally never run across somebody who actually was "faking it" as an NB person. I don't know why anybody would, to be honest.
It can be liberating to have a realization of who you are but you do want to make sure you take care of yourself and protect yourself. This is one of the major stresses I deal with for sure; it's a fine and dangerous line to walk. Hopefully by being who I am it will be easier for other people like me down the line.
For the record 30 isn't old - I'm way older than that. :)
I hope to have the courage to come out to my parents and my best friend eventually, but I have no idea how I'd do either at the moment and it's not a primary concern. Your point of taking care and protecting is a good one. Though I've been through a crucible earlier in life and survived I should consider the amount I expose myself at once, and should become more comfortable within these communities before running on instinct. Not that that contradicts my feelings much, though honestly they're a walking contradiction in themself. I want to share there newfound happiness and joy with the world but I have no idea to tell anyone IRL outside of my SO for the time being.
That's a nice line on imposter syndrome, the more I watch and the more I read the more it fades from Non-Binary for me, which might be due to a lack of exposure to NB prior to all this as I have less 'standards' to compare to. I appreciate the reassurance with the age, it certainly feels old for 'all this' but your post is reassuring and I have to thank you for having the courage to make the moves you have when you did. It really does help people like myself becoming aware to it all.
Incredible post, really, and feel free to ask questions. The concern you're feeling for making sure you're caring for their needs and respecting their wishes means more to them then you could imagine. I'm so happy for your child that they have someone so invested, compassionate and empathetic as yourself for a parent. Keep doing what you're doing, every parent doubts they're the best but you're not suggesting it, you're displaying it.Thank you astro for making this thread, and everyone for sharing. I am a parent of a 15 year old that recently and quietly changed their pronouns on their IG profile from she/they to they/them and 'didn't want to make a big deal about it'. I love them with every bit of myself and this topic has been lovely to read and beyond that immensely helpful with my understanding level. I just wanted to say thank you, and I am so happy that all of you are here.
Thank you so much and I'm glad you can relate insofar as it helps me feel more comfortable in it all.Kyuuji reading your posts and I'm so happy you were able to make these realizations about yourself, I relate to a bit to a lot of that
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