Mastodawn

HalloNea Feb 22

Tyla (Combat Waifu Yuri Arc)

There is a girl named Alexis coming over today to hang out with my daughter.

She’s dating another of my daughter’s friends who is lesbian and openly had a crush on my daughter but they talked about how they had to stay friends because my daughter is straight. That whole situation was no big deal.

Now she’s dating Alexis, who’s been over a few times and seems really engaging for a middle schooler. She just kind of hangs out in an easy-going manner. We’ve had talks about fashion and cooking and music.

She goes by Alex with her parents and non-school friends. I thought that was a nickname like I have for my kids. I was gonna text her parents and my daughter said very seriously “make sure you use he/him pronouns when you talk about her.”

It turns out she is an out Trans girl in middle school, and all her friends protect her by flipping name and pronouns as easily as code-switching. Like, they all think of her as a girl, and they flip to he/him without even really thinking about it.

This is so amazing to me. And so so sad. Like that poor girl is in middle school and already has friends she can trust with her true self more than her family.

Tyla (Combat Waifu Yuri Arc)Feb 21

And it turns out that I…mean something… to her.

Like, I’m just a normal mom, making pizza dough for a sleepover, making dinner, complaining that her daughter won’t clean her room.

I’m just a boring, annoying mom. And Alexis apparently sees me as a symbol of hope.

😱

KawaiiPunk Feb 21

@FinalGirl this is so fucking cool. Good on u! The queer youth look up to u

@FinalGirl this is so amazing and bright. It brings me so much joy seeing the next generation being so progressive and seeing them look up to people who can be out and true and just live their lives. It makes the risks of never trying to stealth worth it.

queer as in fuck your borders Feb 21

@FinalGirl hell yeah you do. Being able to be a "boring mom" is the kind of representation I didn't see when I was a queer kid (and I'm still not out to my parents, lol; my boyfriend has had to do this name/pronouns code switching when we visited my family)

I want to be that adult so badly for someone.

Verđandi K Soldusty Feb 21

@FinalGirl
🥰💜

@FinalGirl I don't know what it's like exactly for a trans kid growing up these days. So like us, so unlike us. They know who they are, but they're growing up being gaslit by every arm of the media into thinking they're either ridiculous or dangerous. One day they're "trenders" who will change their minds in three months, and the next, part of a sinister force that will destroy the country just by existing.

When so much of the world around us cannot be fucking normal about us, I guess it makes sense that "normal" is the most powerful thing we can be.

I'm gonna burn down the fabric of society? Please. I'm just trying not to burn these pizzas.

Bernie Luckily Does It Feb 24

@Tattie @FinalGirl I was just thinking a few minutes ago about how some people say we're "trying to destroy the family" and my kids would be utterly shocked by that proposition. I guess I'm just really incompetent at it.

'i am no man' Charlotte Eowyn!Feb 21

This is the most hopeful thing I've read in years and it brings me to tears.

Miriam's on Medical Leave Feb 21

@FinalGirl 💕

@FinalGirl She trusts you. That big!

"Mediocre Bunny" Evelyn Feb 21

@FinalGirl
I worshipped boring, normal moms at that age.
Mine wasn’t a trans situation, it was “just” that my father was abusive & my my mom was working crippling hours to (unbeknownst to me then) save up for a divorce; but visiting homes with moms who had time to care about pizza dough and sleepovers and the cleanliness of other people’s rooms was like a balm on my raw nerves.

You and your pizza dough are making a huge difference, lady.

secretsloth Feb 21

@FinalGirl awwwwh 💜 I'm glad she has people, including at least one adult person (you). Feelings.

@FinalGirl Yup, it’s scary isn’t it? My daughter’s group of friends at high school are all trans or queer and out to each other, but mostly not to their parents or the school. It takes such a small amount of acceptance and taking them as they want to be for them to be over the moon. I despair of some of the other parents.

@FinalGirl hell yeah tyla

Blake C. Stacey Feb 22

@FinalGirl pizza dough says trans rights

Manc AvGeek Feb 22

@FinalGirl Sometimes, being a boring, annoyingly normal parental unit who treats their friends kids as actual people is something thst is really appreciated.
I grew up in an area where parental abuse and/or neglect of children was... not normal, but far too prevalent.
And my friends loved coming round to my house, where my parents would fuss over them, feed them, help with homework, listen to their hopes and dreams...
And ive done the same with my kids friends, snd like to think ive helped.

FeloniousPunk Feb 21

@FinalGirl We have the EXACT situation going on here with my kid. The other kid’s parents are strict and very catholic. It’s quite sad because they ground them for the littlest of things and are basically terrible parents. We’ve told them they are always welcome and safe in our home, which I hope is reassuring. You know teenagers.

But even the schools here are welcoming and follow their preferences, which I think is awesome.

Tyla (Combat Waifu Yuri Arc)Feb 21

@FeloniousPunk I lived at a couple other friends houses for periods in high school and I told my partner that if that situation comes up I’m gonna allow it and she’s gonna have to deal with it because that literally saved my life.

It’s so bizarre thinking of myself as still that little girl who can barely survive and realizing that to another little girl, I’m the success story.

Dreaming of bogwitchery Feb 21

@FinalGirl But also how amazing is the future, your daughter and her friends. This whole story brings hope.

@FinalGirl there are so many situations like this among my kid's friends too. And sometimes I too have to pretend I don't know things just around a specific set of parents, but not around all the other parents. Confusing! That's awesome that you're an inspiration to her though. Apparently some of these kids feel that way about me, too.

Jessica the VI Artist🎚️🎹🌈Feb 23

@FinalGirl @eyesquash I’m really glad your daughter and her friends have each other and you. Wish I would’ve had close friends like that when I was of middle school age.