Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:FTM or MTF? I know there are some who don’t want to hear it, but this is a trending thing among teenagers. For girls, it’s replaced the cutting and anorexia of past decades as a way of dealing with the pain and anxiety of puberty. I would do what you can to avoid any permanent changes or medical/surgical treatments.
Reviving this thread because I am having this exact issue right now with my almost 14 year old. I'm not going to go as far as came out as transgender because that happened much later in the conversation. She wants to get a chest binder with the reason being she is uncomfortable with her body. I am not surprised the subject has come up. As others have noted, this seems to be a huge topic for this age group. It's certainly not the first time we've heard her mention LGBTQ issues/topics.
I offered support - not for a chest binder, but in general. I told her I'd compromise and get her sports bras, but that I thought the chest binder is a step forward on a path that I'm not convinced we've fully explored whether she should be on. She has a therapist - she tends towards anxiety, and IMO, depression. I admitted that I don't have direct experience with this and we could talk to her therapist and pediatrician.
Look, in the end if she is actually transgender, non-binary, gay, or straight we will support her.
But I don't see this as a fully formed decision and this particular request strikes me as along the lines of exactly what the PP said - " For girls, it’s replaced the cutting and anorexia of past decades as a way of dealing with the pain and anxiety of puberty." That is what I heard in what she said.
Looking for resources to deal with this even-handedly and objectively so that she feels heard but also so we are dealing with her real issues. Thanks.