For whatever reasons, which are far beyond my ability to research or understand, the concept of “nonbinary” continually slides off the brain of my eldest child (Bear, 9) and they keep having to be reminded it of it. The word simply carries no associations or permanence, which is hilarious because two children they see fairly often are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns; Max, the uncle/aunt of their close friend, and Dorset, a child they go swimming with. Bear sees these kids at least once a week.
And then Bear regularly goes “WHATS NONBINARY”
And we’re like “LIKE 👏 DORSET 👏 BEAR. LOCK THE FUCK IN”
And every time Bear goes, USING THE RIGHT PRONOUNS, in a tone of receiving information they have never heard before, “THEYRE NONBINARY?”
Bug, aged six, decided to make a Mii of Bear for their island. "Are you nonbinary?" they asked their sibling, politely.
"Am i HWHAT," bellowed Bear, who has, i will note, added nonbinary Miis to their own island, and has had much exposure to the word and concept.
"Do you want a gender on your Mii?"
"DO I WANT A WHAT ON ME??"
With admirable clarity, Bug asked: "Do you want male, female or nonbinary for the Mii of you on my island?"
Faced with no other option but to hear words, Bear stared with merry blankness into the middle distance, a buffer wheel spinning as they performed Processing. They then announced their birth gender, deafeningly, at several times a normal human volume, in an accusing tone, as if this was information that they had made Bug responsible for once and never considered again. "Why would you ASK me," Bear moaned, tragically nearly overcome by such an unexpected administrative burden; they prefer Bug to fill in the forms of their life wherever possible.
Bug has borne Bear 's life admin since infancy, amd has great tolerance but little patience. They said, "Why couldn't you just SAY?"
