Gender dysphoria is a condition that many individuals suffer from these days. Such children don’t always identify with their gender. Such dysphoria can cause a number of problems such as low self-esteem, bullying and difficult home and school lives. As a parent, you have several options to try to help your child who may be suffering from this unhappy view of himself or herself:
Therapy
Gender dysphoria in children may require therapy. Therefore, you might want to consider having your child talk to a licensed therapist about not feeling comfortable in his or her skin. A compassionate therapist can help your child work through those issues and find ways to feel more confident.
Encouragement
You could try to encourage your child in a loving manner as a parent. For example, you can reassure your child of how beautiful and special he or she is in natural form. You can learn some esteem-building techniques and then use them with your child to see if it helps that child gain more confidence and security. It might be worth a try to put a lot of focus on your child right now.
Gender Reassignment
Your child may still be unhappy after all the efforts you put forth. He or she may want to get gender reassignment surgery because it is an available option. If so, you can make a decision of whether to support those endeavors. In many cases, children cannot get such surgeries until they reach adulthood, but you can choose to nurture and support the idea.
Contact International Center for Transgender Care for information about some of the options that may be available to you.
