#nasper

been working at this early elementary childcare job for eleven months, gotten to know a lot of the kids, have been out as nonbinary to our boss and some coworkers since the beginning but not like, further than that, because we're still working on being comfortable enforcing our gender with people we aren't close to.

however! spontaneously decided to make a bit of a fresh start when summer camp started and we knew we'd be meeting some new faces, so we've been wearing our they/them pronoun button every day at work. and it's worked amazing! the entire staff in gr 3-5 (none of whom i really knew before camp) smoothly picked up on it without any comment from me, and kids have been asking about the button in their curious kid way (cis adults do not do that and it is my PEEVE its normal ask me about it). so i get to talk about it and explain it to kids age 5-11! it is really nice.

the past week has had a sudden random uptick in nice happy experiences around getting to explain things to kids, such as:

being asked if i'm a boy or a girl (favorite question) by an 8yo girl, explaining neither/both/non-binary, and her thinking for a moment before saying she wants to be non-binary because she likes wearing boys shorts. she is so cute i love that child for many reasons such as Being Sooooo Like Child Me.

this one's not explaining things because i DIDNT HAVE TO!! kid i knew because she went to my dance studio when she was wee, and was the younger sister of a junior teammate there, informed me that the older "sister" i mentioned changed their name and pronouns! and she pointed to my button :) i went 🥺🥺🥺 OHHHHH ME TOO THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!!! it was so sweet. absolute bounce in my step for two days about it

and then today, 6yo girlie i interact with frequently, who commonly has Problems With Rudeness / Insensitivity to peers but is sweet when her impulses arent telling her to be a little asshole, was.... asking me? what i wanted? after i explained i'm not a boy or a girl and i like to be called they? we were playing a game together, she told me it was my turn, then she stopped and asked me if it was okay that she called me "miss nasper" (all the staff are mr/miss [name])? and i like. WANTED TO CRY AND SCOOP HER UP? IT WAS SO CONSIDERATE? LIKE, ADULTS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS? I DIDNT EVEN SAY ANYTHING? IM USED TO GETTING "MISS"ED AND IM JUST ECSTATIC ABOUT WINNING CORRECT PRONOUNS THIS SUMMER? AND ON HER OWN SHE THOUGHT "wait. thats a girl word. thats probably not right" and she ASKED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 theresa babygirl you made me smile so hard today. (btw i said i did prefer to just be Nasper, i don't mind if she forgets that but the fact that she asked at all blew me away)