How does a parent who wants to be supportive, but who is not totally comfortable yet with their child being non-binary, prepare for interactions with relatives this holiday season? This week’s question comes from a parent learning to adjust to new pronouns.
“My 14 year old child identifies as non-binary. ‘They’ were born our son, but now prefers to be referred to as ‘they/them.’ And we get chastised if we use ‘he, his or him.’ Any time we miss a pronoun they get really upset, but we’re working on that. The question I have is: they’re wanting to dress a little more feminine, in feminine clothes, nail polish, make-up and earrings and such, which I think I’m okay with. With the holidays coming, I want to empower my kid to be who they are and how they see themselves. But when we have holiday get-togethers on FaceTime, I really wish they wouldn’t wear feminine clothes because I don’t want to deal with the comments and the judgmental questions from friends and family members. How do I address this with my child so we can all avoid holiday awkwardness?”
Tips On Teens is a vlog that our Clinical Director, Kent Toussaint, hosts every Wednesday at 12:00pm on Facebook Live. He will be answering parenting questions submitted to us by you to our email at TipsOnTeens@TeenTherapyCenter.com. Send us any questions you might have about parenting kids and teens and Kent will be answering them every week!
Head on over to our Facebook page every Wednesday at 12:00pm to watch LIVE! Check out our page here – https://www.facebook.com/TeenTherapyCenter/
If you have more questions or would like more information, please contact our Clinical Director, Kent Toussaint at 818.697.8555.