#trans parenting

I'd really like to spend all my time with my kids as a regular mother would. I wouldn't mind if they called me Mother ^^ but of course, I am a man.

i changed my gender identity, and transitioned into a man while simultaneously celebrating and embracing motherhood. that was hard!

identifying with motherhood while not connecting with womanhood sometimes is hard!

you know what isn’t hard? minding your business.

i am a proud trans parent, and furthermore i am a proud mother existing as a man. if your brain can’t wrap your head around it, not my problem!

it took my 7 year old about 2 minutes worth of discussion and, “oh, so sometimes we can be born the wrong way?” and that was that.

it’s everyone else who seems to think that me being trans is going to have some traumatic effect on my children.

One of my teens is in the process of meeting with a physician to begin HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to help with her gender dysphoria. She hopes it will help her voice sound less masculine as well as begin changes that will be visibly noticeable.

With her permission, I’m reaching out to all of you awesome people who have experience with HRT to ask for any insights you might offer, as well as any questions you wished you had thought to ask before you started. What are some variables to be aware of? Any words of encouragement you want me to pass along?

When Hotaru was born I was so poor I had to make most of her wardrobe myself. I had only basic sewing notions from watching my seamstress grandma at work and a yard of fabric was too expensive for my budget so I'd buy fleece scarves with cute prints and make her tiny pants and long sleeved shirts out of them to keep her warm because she was born in the dead of winter.

After that, I signed up for some free sewing lessons the government offered back then and learned to make more sophisticated clothes. By the time summer rolled around I was already making her cute sundresses and one-pieces. Later on, I've even sewn for a living and made good money while at it but I have never stopped sewing for her and I love being able to make beautiful, useful things for the most important person in my life. I hope she remembers this fondly once I'm gone. The warm pokemon pajamas, the elaborate Halloween princess costumes, the fashionable sundresses, the gothic dress she saw at the store that was too expensive...

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Kat Rohn 

In honor of Women’s History Month and ahead of International Transgender Day of Visibility, we spoke to Kat Rohn about her experiences as a transgender parent. She’s been highlighting her beautiful family over on @trans-parenting since 2013. Let’s dive into the interview!

We see so many parents documenting their parenting journeys on Tumblr. How did your @trans-parenting start?

I started Transparenting on Tumblr as both a way to record my own experiences as a (then) new parent, as well as to try and connect with other parents along the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I really didn’t have any big vision for where I wanted to go from there, but Tumblr felt like a great place to share and connect with a wide variety of content, and the community that I’ve found has been really fabulous.

Why is it so important that we continue to show the experience of parents who identify as LGBTQ+?

For one, I think visibility still matters for LGBTQ+ folks broadly. We’ve come a long way on that front since I started blogging in 2013, but having those stories, spaces, and experiences out there is important - especially for other LGBTQ+ folks who are or might be considering becoming parents one day. LGBTQ+ folks often have to jump through extra hoops to become parents, and unfortunately still face many structural and cultural obstacles. Having these stories out there can be really vital for people trying to navigate those challenges. I hear from folks on a regular basis who thanked me for sharing my story because it helped to give them hope for their own future. Visibility isn’t everything - and in this current political climate it can even feel like a liability at times - but it’s still powerful. I also think that the value of sharing these kinds of parenting experiences has value well beyond the LGBTQ+ specific community. I’ve been really fortunate in connecting with parents around the globe from a broad range of experiences and backgrounds. Parenting is full of its challenges, and getting a diverse set of perspectives on those challenges can be tremendously helpful. LGBTQ+ parents can bring a unique lens to many parenting conversations; and on the flip side, I’ve found my own parenting improved by having a broad range of voices and connections to draw upon.

What do you teach your children that you believe all parents should be teaching their children?

I want my kids to be kind and compassionate, to never stop being curious, to be resilient, and to proudly be themselves. I hope that my own identity and experiences help to foster that, but those are things every parent can help to teach their child!

We’re so grateful for you sharing your family’s story with Tumblr, Kat! 

Not specifically, but I do know of two transmasc parents, @swolerbear​ and someone who was something like seahorsedad but I can’t find their blog now so I think they changed URLs (I didn’t follow them). You might try asking them about it?

If any transmasc parents would like to chime in, please do!

My partner just told me that our baby (now 2-year-old) used my pronouns correctly the other day!!!

They were asking where I was or something, and paused, and instead of saying "Daddy" a second time they carefully said, "gem"! And then, apparently, they liked practicing using pronouns so much that they used it again right away!

(Apparently my partner celebrated with them afterward, too. How freaking cute is that? I don't think I've heard them use pronouns for a person before this, either. Baby's first gendering!)

MY BABBY USES MY PRONOUNS ❤🥰😍🥰❤