[reason 286] daughters

 

I have a lot of children. I have even more than I started with at the beginning of this year. I birthed five children. When they were born, we assumed they were two girls and three boys. We also have many other "bonus children" who are a permanent part of our lives but don't live with us. And we have two "children" (they're 20-somethings, actually) that moved in with us at different times this year. 

That's seven people who live in my house and call me some variation of Mom. 

Believe it or not, only two of them are my daughters, which makes sense because two of my children were assigned female at birth. But neither of those children are currently my daughters. By the time our fifth child was born, our fourth was letting us know that they weren't sure if they were a girl or a boy or something in between. We began to learn about the vast differences between sex and gender.  We strived to provide an environment where our kids knew they could be who they are and love whom they love. 

One by one, our children let us know who they are. Our kids are cisgender, transgender, agender, pangender, and genderfluid. The default pronouns in our house are they/them. One of them goes by their birth name. The others will eventually legally change their names. 

So... I have two daughters. They are beautiful and loving and are both great at shenaniganery.  They give the best hugs. They're both night owls. And because they're such a joy to hang out with, my night owl tendencies have been reactivated. (Sorry, husband!)

I'm so glad that they are my daughters and that I get to provide a safe space for them to land and a listening ear when they need one.