It’s Been 3 Years!

On April 1, 2014, I pressed that “Publish” button for the first time and Dandelion Fuzz was born. It wasn’t Dandelion Fuzz in the beginning- that name came pretty early on though. I have included the text of my first post below. It’s ironic that upon reading it again, I could be writing the exact same thing now, with just the slightest modifications.

When I began this blog all those years ago, and let me tell you- it feels like a lifetime ago- I had no clear idea of what I wanted this space to look like. I knew that I wanted to share my journey with my trans kid, Kris, but I had no way of knowing how many twists and turns that would take! As time went on, I shared what I hope were relevant pieces of information and my perspective as the parent of an LGBTQ kid. When I discovered challenges- especially photography challenges, this sparked an unrealized interest of mine and I began adding those posts.

At times I was very confused and uncertain of how I felt in Kris’s journey and it was at those times that I sometimes fell silent on the topic, trying to work through my feelings before sharing them.  And it was then that I occasionally shared other snapshots of my life.

In recent months, my topics have strayed more from the transgender issues as my life has been focused in another area. Although I don’t write as much about Kris, my involvement in supporting the LGBTQ community has not lessened any in my day to day life. I have mentioned, in passing, the thing that has grabbed my attention, but I remainhesitant to write about it- the matter of a loved one dealing with mental illness.

I am tossing around the idea of beginning a second blog dedicated to that issue, so as to not take away from this blog. But I’m undecided at this point.

One thing is certain- I’m so grateful to everyone who reads my posts. Although writing can be hard at times, for me pressing that “Publish” button and sharing my writing with others is even harder. I appreciate every person who takes the time to read my posts. It gives me the courage to write and put a little bit of myself out there. Although I always thought that just writing was enough, I wouldn’t be here in the blogging world without you!

And I love Dandelion Fuzz. It’s my heart.

If you are so inclined, you can read my first post below-

Hello, it’s me, Kat!

This is my first post. Well, actually it’s my second if you count the one that I slaved over all morning that just disappeared when I clicked on what I thought was Preview. So, here I am- nervous, scared, a bit gun shy about sharing myself and my first post just disappears like that. Poof!

I can’t recreate it. I would drive myself crazy. So, this is my new first post. Much shorter and to the point. If you read About Me, you know that I’m a mom, wife and all that fun stuff. In my original first post I spent two paragraphs sharing a lot of stuff that I thought was important enough to include but now can’t remember. So I’m at that point- the point of no return. I need to start writing or start deleting.

Quite a few years ago, I gave birth to three healthy beautiful babies. Boy, girl, boy. That changed a few years ago when K,our teenage daughter, told us that she believed she was transgender. In basic terms, transgender is when a person identifies with a gender different than the sex they were assigned at birth. Simply put- a boy in a girl’s body. It isn’t that simple and it touched every single corner of our lives.

Parenting is very difficult. When my children were younger, I found other moms with kids the same age as mine were the greatest source of friendship and support. There’s nothing like the company of someone who knows exactly what you are going through. Being the parent of a transgender child presents challenges one cannot begin to imagine. The experience has been life changing for all five of us. I compare it to living inside a snow globe. Every time you shake a snow globe, you don’t know where that snow will land. The only certainty is that there is something slightly different every single time. Sometimes the changes are huge and other times barely noticeable. But something has changed. That has been our lives since K ‘s revelation. I feel that writing about this will help me process everything we have experienced and if I can help someone else who is on a similar journey, in even the smallest way, then it will be worth it.

Thank you for being part of my world!

-Kat