Published On: Tue, Jun 3rd, 2014

Transgender Children: Facts N Myths

Transgender children are those who have two genders in one body. It is a rare occurrence but it does happen due to hormonal disorders in the body of the person. These children are also called transsexual. In many parts of the world these kids are not accepted by the society. As a result they are abandoned. With changes in time people have been educated about these kids. It is not the fault of the child that he or she was born as a transgender. There have been laws made that is more sensitive to the children who suffer from this disorder. In this article we will discuss how one can deal with a transgender child.

Detection of Transgender Child

It is very difficult for a doctor to understand if the child is going to be a transgender child with just sonography. This is exactly why there can be tests conducted about the genetic framework of the child even before he or she is born. The genetic analysis can often tell if the sex chromosome is normal or not. This is one thing a parent can do in the initial stages of the pregnancy to just ensure that the child to be born is not a transgender child.

Transgender Children

Transgender Children Are Normal Too

If you happen to have a transgender child you must ensure that you are sensitive to the child and you understand what the child is going through. It is not easy to be parent of a transgender child. When the child is below five years the problems are not much. It is only when they start growing they will realise that they are not like the other kids and this makes them feel inferior. There are a lot of parents across the world that have been brave enough to accept the fact that the child they have is a transgender and they take good care of the child. This disorder is also termed as gender identity disorder.

Puberty Issues in Transgender Children

When the child hits puberty the challenges for a parent becomes even greater. The child in this stage will experience a lot of changes in the body which will be embarrassing for them. They will have friends who will more or less be excited about these changes but these kids will not be enjoying these changes as these changes are not normal. You must ensure that you take them for counselling at the right time.

The doctors will talk to these kids and help them feel better and more self confident. You must regularly talk to these kids and try to understand what they are going through. They will be depressed and confused. They may also have a lot of questions that you must answer with a calm mind. If you are not sensitive the child can take extreme steps like suicide too. The doctors will suggests some hormonal injections that you can give the child to ensure that the changes the child is facing is minimised to a great extent.

Acceptance of The Child

The child must learn to accept that this is how he or she is and this is how nature made them. This acceptance is very important. We live in a society that can be very cruel and insensitive to the transgender child. As a parent it is your responsibility that you make the child strong and you prepare him for a better life. You must help them learn to face the society and the reality of their body. They cannot run away from the fact that they are a transgender must be communicated well to them. This is a big struggle for the child and he or she will not succeed in this attempt unless you as a parent support him or her.

Schooling Issues

Some transgender children may refuse to go to school as they are teased by other kids. You as a parent must encourage them. It is important for these kids to get proper education. When they are educated they can get a proper job for themselves. This will also secure their future. You can talk to the school authorities and they will definitely take all the steps that they can to help your child.

Many transgender children attempt suicide and there are many who fight all the odds and live a good life. There are a lot of medical options that are available today for the transgender children these include options like:

  1. Hormonal replacement therapy
  2. Breast augmentation
  3. Sex re assignment surgery
  4. Vaginoplasty
  5. Voice feminization
  6. Male chest reconstruction
  7. Metoidioplasty
  8. Phalloplasty

With these options that problems of the transgender children can be reduced to a great extent, they can be given a better life and more social acceptance. Medical science has made great advances in this field. We hope that this article on transgender child will help  you deal with the problem better.

About the Author

- Shantini Diaz has been associated with Abhishek Solutions for over 5 years now and is a part of the brilliant 4S team as we call it, consisting of 4 brilliant female minds who provide their services to us, all starting with the alphabet \”S\” hence the 4S quadruple. An MBA by education, and an experienced Operations Manager in reputed public limited pharmacy in Coimbatore

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