@deilann my mom told me that constantly, and I still managed to internalize that I needed to hide it. Then again, I grew up in the South and no one taught me that gender exploration was even a thing in the first place. So, I'd say please try to learn enough that you can at least give your child a brief understanding of why you're saying what you're saying, too. Maybe I'm biased, but I feel I would have figured this part of my life out sooner if I knew what my options were in the first place and that it was even a "thing" to be trans and transition. Especially considering how socially taboo the whole subject was for me growing up outside my own home.  

Let your child know they have your support, you will defend them, they have options, and they deserve to be happy. It's fucking scary out there for us, and if I was too scared to even think about exploring myself in that way back then, I can't imagine how it is for kids now.