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When your family abandons you...


WarrenG

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This week has been interesting....that for sure...

Well work has improved in terms of being called Warren or Ren (I gave everyone the option to use whichever they prefer, and I have noticed that certain people prefer to use Warren whilest others prefer Ren, and one even likes to call me Renren). There are two in particular who refuse to call me anything aside from Kristy, but theyve gotten the cold shoulder from many who support me because they know it's only out of spite.

So, in terms of work, it has been great.

Still slightly challenging here and there, but much better. I dont mind coming into work anymore because I know that I can finally be myself.

Mike H, the man who took the first steps with the company to make sure I didnt have to hide who I am and got me my name tag, has also made a point to make sure anything with my name on it says Warren. He also makes a point to correct someone if they call me Kristy, and he's been great.

To show him how much of a big deal it is to me, even if others dont think it is, I got him a 10$ gift card to our local pub/grill so he can share an appitizer or drink with his wife on me :)

We've become good friends.

It's nice to have that boost of support.

Support...

You know, normally people overlook such a strong word. It's just a simple word, right? Support?

Well...if you're in the process of something life changing, emotionally tasking and physically exhausting...a little 'support' means the world and beyond.

To have someone who's got your back. To pick you up when you're down, and brush you off so they can tell you 'it's cool, buddy. We're in this together"

My boyfriend, Justin by the way, has been extra awesome. He's improved drastically in terms of understanding and patience, and he's always there to help me or give me advice. Even if he's not sure about the situation, he's always there to help me out.

I met a friend on my game IMVU online, and her name is Destinee. We've been friends for almost a year now, though neither of us expected to still be chitchatting after a week. Thats how most online friendships go. You're the best of friends for about a week or a month and then all of a sudden, you're looking at the username and thinking "who the hell is this person?"

But she's been incredible. She's helped me with the cutting and the depression and everything and anything I had on my mind.

We've adopted eachother as siblings. She is my sister, and I am her brother. She loves me for me, and I return the favor.

Plus her family thinks I'm adorable and promise snuggles when I eventually visit her in California. :P

It's nice to have that. Support.

Love, encouragement....and support.

Families are supposed to support eachother.

I've...never really had that. Even as a child. Growing up, I always felt like I had to fight for attention. I'm one of five siblings, though at the time there were only four of us. My baby brother came much later in life. But as it went, it was my older sister Manda, then me, then my brother Eric, and my baby sister Becky.

My relationship with my mom was always so/so. We didnt always get along, but we didnt hate eachother. My dad....was my hero. Everything about him, I loved.

But I was always second best. Manda was his first, his horse back riding girly girl. They enjoyed horseback riding, which I never really got to be a part of unless it was behind my sister...basking in her shadow. Then my brother, my dad's only son. They enjoyed hunting and playing rough. I never got to because it 'was boy time'. Something I desperatly wanted.

Then of course, my baby sister. His baby, his little girl. They played, they laughed, and they enjoyed running around and being adorable.

Then...there's me.

In between genders, not sure of myself...the boundaries I had been given seemed wrong and unfitting to myself. 'Girls dont do that' seemed incredibly wrong to me. I didnt feel like a girl. Did having girl parts make me a girl? Was that the only astounding feature that could condemn me to a life of dresses and bows in my hair? I didnt want that. How could I not be given the choice?

Any attempts to explain this to my mother was passed off as 'being a tomboy'.

When my father passed away suddenly, I gave up trying to leave my dresses behind.

I just wanted to make my mother happy.

Years passed, and the attention spans never changed. Manda came first a lot of times, despite what she may claim. First to leave the house, first to have her boyfriend, first to get a car and wreck it in the same year....four times in a row. All paid for by my mother.

Any vehicles I wanted I had to help pay half for, and she drove them more than I got to. Thanks...

I was too busy playing 'mr. mom' to have friends. We moved 12 times in 10 years, so I didnt get to make friends anyway. It was just me and my laptop, which they claimed I was on too much anyway.

What other life did I have? Behind a screen was the only time I could be...me.

The attention soon left us all and went to my baby brother Jordan, or one of my mom's 'awesome' boyfriends that she frequently changed about twice a month, if not more.

I gave up keeping count.

The point I'm trying to make here, is support.

I had none.

If I wanted to do something, it was up to me. If I wanted to try something new, it was my own problem. If I tried to explain to my family why my 'weird phase' was me trying to figure out who I was...I was just being an attention whore.

Keeping my "lesbian" activity secret was me just being an attention whore, despite that it was kept secret in fear of my family's opinions.

Me coming out that I were Bisexual was just me just "doing it for attention".

My cutting problem was me "begging for attention."

Finally telling them that I dont want to be a girl and would like to identify as a male......I'm "an attention whore".

Support is a strange and unused word with my family. I didnt always think so. At one point I were sure that they supported me and understood my struggles. That they were alright with it.

Until I found out they were snickering behind my back. Laughing about my troubles.

Refusing to cooperate or call me warren, or male, or even CONSIDER the possibility of allowing the small children of the family to call me Uncle Warren instead of Aunt Kristy.

I snapped.

I wrote them a note over facebook privately. I'd like to share their 'support'.

Me:Hey nevermind the 17th,(i was planning to visit them) I already know how it's gonna go and I don't need another repeat of the last time I was there. I miss my nieces and Becky and Jordan but my problems seem to be inconvenient to you guys and I don't need to get in another fight about it. I've got enough problems and it's pretty clear by now that you two aren't really willing to work with me on it, as if it isn't hard enough already. I figured you'd understand by now that this isn't a f***ing choice and at least try to understand, but it seems like my family are the only people who aren't willing to be supportive and understanding. If you need me you know where to find me. If you can't deal with having another brother then I'm sure you can deal with losing him too. Your choice, I'm not gonna keep ramming my head into a brick wall if you're not gonna listen or at least put your pride away and try and help me.

The responses I got, bits and pieces of a back and forth rant.

My older sister for both herself and my mother:

"Do what ever you want, this has nothing to do with my feeling on ur chose however It does everything to do with the facts and challenges of small kids, if you aren't willing to understand that your changes are confusing to them then I'm sorry but you can't be part of their life's until Ur changes are made and final. They are simply to young to understand and I won't allow them to be more confused about this"

"U are so self wrapped right now u don't even see the problem. Grow up, this isn't about u, my kids are my number 1 important and I'll protect them from being confusion this is starting. Has nothing to do with supporting you, drama queen"

My family....

So. No nieces. No family visits.

I'm no longer welcome home...

The only supporting family I have are those at work, Destinee, my boyfriend and everyone on here. My own blood has decided I’m too embarrassing and confusing for them to handle. I’m not allowed to come home.

And the cherry topper for this all? Remember the fight I had with my sister to begin with, and my mother decided not to support or defend me? She just sat there and watched it unfold. No offer of support or even to join the conversation.

She’s done it again. She never said a word. She let my sister run her mouth, shut me out of their lives…and she never said a word. That’s what kills me.

I never mattered in their lives before today, and now I matter even less to them.

The kicker is I cant even go and complain to my therapist about this. I ditched her.

She weren’t helping me. She weren’t helping me move forward. She knows nothing about transgendered problems, and for lack of better words, she were ‘useless’ to my situation. I were spending 45$ a visit, plus 10$ in gas to get there, to vent about my problems. I can do that for free at my house. I’m beginning to wonder what the point of all this is.

A story hit home yesterday, and I cant stop thinking about it.

#hisnamewaszander

Sincerely Yours,

Your Friend,

Warren…I think.

5 Comments


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Dear Warren,

Yes, you're Warren to me but I like RenRen too. You most definitely have my and I'm sure our support here. You can take that to the bank as an old TV show character used to say. Please keep writing, airing your thoughts, and I hope we can help by providing feedback and listening, I mean that.

I'll write more later,

Emma

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Hi Warren, I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties with your family. Support is so important and so many don't get enough from the people in their lives that matter most. I hope that you won't give up on your family, sometimes acceptance and support take time. On the bright side, I'm happy for you that work is going well.

KML

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Strange how support never comes from where you expect it, and springs up from places you never would have imagined.

I don't mean to talk bad about your family, but I think your older sister is quite like many older sisters - they can be real b*#$%^s. That's why I was glad I never had one. Well, I do - a half-sister. But we did not grow up in the same household. And I'm glad. So, maybe it will just be her that will be a problem. If the rest of your family come around, her issue with you won't be so bad.

I wonder if she's just stalling or blowing you off though (on behalf of your mum) considering she said she didn't want you around her kids until your "changes are made and final." Maybe she too, will be okay with you once you are transitioned.

And yeah, like Emma said - you are Warren. Heck, even I cringe when I read your birth name. Not that it's a bad name. It's a fine name. For a girl. But I know how much I hate having to write my birth name. And to me...it just seems that all guys would be the same.

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Hey Ren,

Yeah, I like that name too. It's less formal than Warren, but thats a cool name if you prefer. It's your choice, like I know guys that go by David or Robert, instead of Dave or Rob or Bob. Anyway, you've always been Warren for me...

I'd like to start on the positive. How about work, huh? Look what you have done! I hope you have some pride in that. You deserve it. I hope also that you feel as special as you are when you hear your masculine name called.

And, total kudos to your BF and you. It says a hell of a lot about he feels for you. He's a good guy or at least is trying to be. I hope you and him can hunker down and cheer each other on, be partners and best friends. It's so important to have a relationship like this. I love hearing about you and him.

Okay, now the more difficult: family. Let's face it, we all bring a heck of a lot of emotional baggage and history, and our families want us to be a certain way, mostly so they can feel good about themselves. It's your life, Ren. I know it hurts a lot to not feel their love and support, and I am sorry about that. But: you be Warren. By being Warren, showing them that you're a kind, caring, and strong man, they will either come around... or they won't. You cannot control them.

Consider the serenity prayer: change what you can and work on the wisdom to identify and let go of what you can't. It is hard, I am not kidding. But it is the path, maybe the only path.

Also, try to enjoy the moment. Screw what went wrong in the past and worries about the future. What matters is what is in front of you now. Go give your BF a big hug and a kiss. I'll bet he needs it too.

Hugs,

Emma

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Hey Warren

If a person is toxic in your life, its sometimes better to treat the toxic as an allergy.

Like you at work, I do have a few obstacles, but most wont even dare to confront me on be a sweet soft petite girl. I think they scared I'll punch their teeth out. My family will be stubborn and want to titlelize me as male, and then I shoot a look and all is well, they only argued once with me on shoes. I told them, my body, my rules, my life, my choices in life and I'll always be me. Funny enough when its a physical or dangerous problem, they run to the baby (which is me), if its money wise my mom runs to my older brother, oldest was never reliable.

I know how toxic some people can be. My father had 11 siblings and all I wrote off as toxic and invisible. So I understand seeing that I was close to one, till I mentioned searching for a doctor and specialist.

But you dont sound as cold or cut off from my emotions and people that doesnt mean anything to me.

Hope the persons you want back in your life has a break through of understanding.

Hugs

Michele

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