10/20/2021
Itās national pronoun day.
You might think, just another silly holiday weāve made up because people have too much time on their hands. To which I say, meet this beautiful child.
When my kiddo was about three, they looked over at my mother and I and told us they were a boy. For the next two years, we went back-and-forth between boy and girl. They seemed happier as a boy, but not really. Being assigned female at birth, as a family we knew that we needed to put systems in place to support them through this potential transition. Iām reading about binders, hormone blockers, things we would need to fully understand to provide them with the guidance they would surely require.
Which is not to say, that this isnāt our future now. I definitely might be saving up for a top surgery at some point. But hereās what I do know after having gone through this. Pronouns gave my child a chance to feel safe and comfortable in their authentic self⦠at an early age. They were so small, and they were so sad living in the binary.
One of the best days of my life was the day we explained they/them pronouns and what it meant to be fluid. If you wouldāve seen this childās face light up. Sometimes, most times actually, I canāt get through the story without crying.
Immediately after realizing they were able to articulate this fluidity they felt inside, everything changed. A general angst and anxiety subsided, a glorious, evolved baby unicorn was born. Billowing with confidence and self-love.
The point is, choosing is a trick. You donāt have to choose and if and when you do, itās because it came naturally. It was who you were all along. šā¤ļø
I donāt know where my child will land, but I know when they do, our phenomenal community will have found a way to honor their experience with our shared language. I love pronouns and I love every q***r baby on this earth. This Mama is sending every one of you the biggest pronoun day hug. You are special and your pronoun journey is too.