This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on the provided comments, the account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or inauthentic.
The comments are highly specific, emotionally consistent, and describe complex, nuanced personal experiences (e.g., bonding over reiki, past "furry" phase, specific clothing details) that are not typical of bot-generated content. The user's perspective as a concerned mother is plausible and fits the context of the subreddit.
About me
I’m a mother from a loving home, and this started when my daughter was thirteen and announced she was a boy after getting very involved in social media. I’ve always supported her self-expression through clothes and haircuts, but I refused to use male pronouns because I believe she was influenced by her peers and is a deeply anxious girl searching for belonging. I see her struggle with self-esteem and a desire for acceptance from boys, which seems central to this. We’ve had a lot of conflict over it, but I maintain our connection through our shared interests. Now, I’m just holding onto hope that with my unconditional love, she will eventually find her way back to herself.
My detransition story
My daughter is fifteen now, and our journey through her transition has been one of the hardest things I've ever faced as a parent. It started a couple of years ago, around the time she was thirteen. She suddenly announced that she was a boy and wanted a new name. I was completely blindsided.
Looking back, she was never a kid who stuck to one way of being. One day she'd be in a dress, the next she was running around as Spider-Man. It never bothered me; I just wanted her to be happy and express herself. I was a tomboy myself growing up, and I always supported her in whatever she wanted to wear or do. She's always loved skater clothes, metal band t-shirts, and dark eyeliner, and I've always been fine with that. She's had every haircut she's ever asked for, from bright colors to shaved sides. Self-expression was never an issue in our home.
The real shift happened when she got into middle school and became very active on social media. Her entire friend group started identifying as either trans or non-binary. I believe she was heavily influenced online and by her friends. It seemed like she was searching for a place to belong and found it in this community. It started with her saying she was a furry, which felt like another way to try and find an identity.
I love my child more than anything, and our home is loving and supportive. But we've butted heads constantly over this. I told her I love and accept her, and I've used her new name, but I draw the line at pronouns. I will not call her my son. This has caused a lot of anger between us. When I've asked her why she thinks she's a guy, she just says it "feels good," but she can't explain it any further than that. She doesn't want to play on male sports teams or use the men's bathroom. It doesn't seem to be about those concrete things.
I see a young girl who is deeply anxious and struggling with low self-esteem. She's had unrequited crushes on boys and has told me she wants them to call her their "boyfriend," which doesn't happen. I think a lot of this is tied up with that and a desperate desire for love and acceptance from her peers. It breaks my heart because she is so strong and amazing, and I just want her to see that.
I tried to get her into therapy, hoping she would open up to a professional since she won't open up to me. We still bond over things like drawing and spiritual practices like reiki and crystals. It's confusing because she'll even talk about the power of feminine energy and Mother Earth, which makes her insistence that she's a boy feel even more confusing and out of place.
I don't regret holding my ground on pronouns. I feel like agreeing to that would have been affirming something I don't believe is true for her. My biggest regret is maybe using the new name; I wonder sometimes if that was a mistake that just made her go further down this path. There's no handbook for this, and every decision feels like a gamble.
Right now, I'm just trying to maintain our connection and show her unconditional love, hoping that in time she will find her way back to herself.
| Age | Event |
|---|---|
| 13 | My daughter first announced she identified as a boy and asked to be called by a new name. She was heavily involved in social media and her friend group was all identifying as trans or non-binary. |
| 13-15 | I supported her self-expression (clothes, haircuts) but did not agree to use male pronouns or refer to her as my son. This caused ongoing conflict. We attempted therapy. |
| 15 (Now) | The situation is ongoing. She remains firm in her male identity but cannot articulate why beyond it "feeling good." I continue to love and support her while hoping she will find self-love and acceptance as herself. |
Top Comments by /u/Traditional-Guest922:
Thank you. I was a tomboy. I think if I grew up with all of this stuff I would’ve questioned my gender identity. I wanted a buzz cut to be like my friends haha. She’s attracted to boys and wants them to call her their boyfriend which doesn’t fly with them. She’s not on spectrum or anything. I just see an anxious hurting girl
Definitely social media. Maybe I take the phone away? She started this before by saying she was a furry. Again I think really looking for love and acceptance which she has. But I know she’s had unrequited crushes on some boys. But I don’t know of anything “worse” than that to really spur this
Thank you so much fellow mama. Unfortunately her group of friends are all identifying as either trans or non binary. We have butt heads because I do say I love and accept you but I won’t call you my son. I Use the new name but will not do pronouns ( I almost wonder if the name was a mistake. There’s no handbook for this lol) A lot of anger comes from this. When I ask why do you think you’re a guy. She says it just feels good but can not say why she identifies as male. Does not ask to be on male sports teams or to use different bathrooms.
Beautiful response. Thank you. Yes I want to show her self love and that she’s strong and amazing. She never gender conformed as a child. One day she’s in a dress the next day she was Spider-Man It never phased me. I’ve been so trying to find out why she’s insecure and not loving of herself. She’s in a loving home
Oh yea she gets any haircut she wants. I used to get my sides shaved so I love the punk type haircuts and colors. She wears mostly black skater type clothes and metal shirts. Dark eyeliner so self expression has been totally supported. I’ve never forced any girly things As a kid she loved teenage mutant ninja turtles so much I had to buy a boys rash guard and find green bottoms for a suit lol
She won’t open up to me so I was hoping therapy would help. We bond over drawing and spiritual type stuff (reiki/crystals) and she’ll even mention the power of feminine energy and Mother Earth so I’m just at a loss why she’s digging her heels in and going further into this rabbit hole I guess :/