convention, kid and gender thoughts
Anthro Northwest is family friendly/PG, and one interesting thing to come out of it was hanging around kids yesterday while drawing. I don’t have children so my life includes very few kids, and I sorta suspect that solves towards negative interactions, noticing preteens mostly when they’re loudly upset, and biased by my mandated role as someone to make children to my parents and my ex. By comparison drawing with kids nearby also drawing was quite positive.
convention, kid and gender thoughts
I sorta think that might be a middle aged thing I miss out on. The same way older people inform me of where I’m headed and offer insight into my childhood (I could use the perspective), kids are a similar reality check for what childhood is like. I’m not about to suddenly volunteer to teach art to middle schoolers, but still, this is more positive interactions than I usually get.
I wound up giving some paper to this really energized boy, so he could draw.
convention, kid and gender thoughts
You know; really hopped up on crowd energy and actually being around People Who Get It. I’d guess 12 or so, clearly creative, coyote fursona; I’d be proud if he were my son. Anyway one of the things to come out of the excited vocal dump was that part of the bullying that meant he went to a new school, is hey, trans male.
Obviously I’ve heard of kids who are trans before puberty or heading in, this is the first time I’d actually met a trans kid.
convention, kid and gender thoughts
The big impression I came away with wasn’t a fixed “okay, he knows himself and he’s definitely male,” so much as forcing a boy this smart and active to do all the AFAB stuff would be horrible. A complete blow to the kid’s emotional development, like making him give up art or constantly telling him he’s stupid, the sort of thing you spend years trying to recover from as an adult. And maybe don’t.
So yeah, that was perspective I didn’t expect to acquire.
convention, kid and gender thoughts
@Leucrotta Sounds like you had a pretty good day, /and/ made his much better. <3