Parenting a gender-expansive kid means that you and your kid are going to face a lot of people who do not understand gender and a lot of people who have a lot of opinions about how you should raise your child—and that can sometimes include your family members.

Advocating for your child within your family is a common experience for parents of a transgender kiddo. Some parents have no trouble pushing back against their parents, or siblings or grandparents.

Jess always wanted to be a boy scout and comes prepared as a guest camp counselor here to journey through all of the adventures and self-discovery at Camp Wild Heart.

Jess also brings their fierce and tender heart into parenting their two-year-old and loving on the various members of their relationship constellation. They come to Camp Wild Heart with almost 10 years of experience working with youth and families.

Today, we’ll hear from fierce and kind mom, Jennifer. Jennifer will share about her experience with her kid, Aaron, coming out and having to swim with him through the sea of shame to a place of resilience and healing.

During our campfire talk today, we’ll hear from brave mom, Laura. Laura realized that asking for help, being vulnerable, and showing up in community with other parents was more important than being judged. Through PFLAG and a therapeutic group for parents of trans kids, Laura saw how other parents modeled compassion for their kids and for themselves.

Most kids don’t necessarily walk up to you and say, “Mom. Dad. I’m trans,” when they come out.

Most of the time, however, they show early signs that they are exploring their gender and that they don’t feel right in their body.

So, how do you avoid closing the door on the coming-out conversation before it even happens? How do you encourage your child to be their most authentic self? And how do you find the courage to rumble with the discomfort of knowing they will face a world that will continuously tell them they aren’t good enough and judges them—and you—every step of the way?

Consider this first episode your New Camper Orientation.

Just like any camp, we’ve got some rules. Rules help us learn what’s in bounds and what’s out of bounds, what behavior is encouraged and what is off-limits.

The rules help to keep people from getting hurt. While we can’t prevent every bump or scrape, our goal is to keep anyone from drowning.

As you listen, I have some things I want you to keep in mind.