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Hope Rising's avatar

I’m truly sorry for your loss & all of the losses that we as a society have had through this hijacking of a generation. We have missed some beautiful things from some beautiful people 😭

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Sweet Caroline's avatar

Thank you for sharing your soul shattering story. There are no words to comfort you and for that I am sorry.

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Al's avatar

I am so so sorry for the loss of your son. I cannot even begin to fathom what you are going through. From go through years of trauma having a child transition and then to be given hope of detransition to end up losing him šŸ’” my heart is broken for you. The system let him down, he needed help not hormones. And yes ,this generation is not ok. I feel so sorry for kids today, life is empty and narcissistic and cruel and hopeless for them. I don't know how to navigate this terrain, all 3 of my kids feel hopeless especially my eldest, the Trans/possibly desisting one.

It is all overwhelmingly sad

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charlotte johnson's avatar

My tears are flowing for you. I’m so so sorry. I pray we don’t suffer the same fate, but we’re certainly not out of the woods. I pray for all of us. Godspeed with peace for your family.

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Natalia's avatar

What I also just suddenly realized: if kids are seeing transition as a way out of their mental health troubles, then detransition is also not a solution. That's why this tragedy happened. The problem is deeper. Detransition only helps to stop doing something that is not helpful. But then what is helpful?

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PatoDreams's avatar

Thank you for sharing your history despite such a deep pain, my heart goes out for you. It opens my eyes and hears to be more alert to detect singals on my trans identified daughter. God bless you.

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Anon's avatar

I would agree ā€œiPhone, internet, social media, and COVID.ā€. They are not all autogynophiles, men with fetishes that want to get in women’s spaces, they are just ā€˜not alright’. There’s definitely a sad cohort of young men/boys, so sensitive & so caught up in this mess.

I’m sorry for your loss, I wish I had better words.

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Meg Metzler's avatar

So, so true. And I am so very sorry for your loss. The iphone and internet were, in so many ways, a detrimental source of entertainment/education for this generation. I wish I had only given our kids "dumb phones". I will watch closer for the signs you provided here. Thank you for this.

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Grow Some Labia's avatar

"It’s not just trans identifying kids that are not all right, it’s all of them."

And it's been this way for decades, not just the rise of social media. I tracked suicide rates in the US during the pandemic and that was how I learned that suicide had gone up in all age groups since the early '90s. Kids have been disturbed for a very long time, even before social media. BUT: The early '90s is when the Internet started to become a thing, and it was highly addictive (I was there for it, and I was already an adult). Cyberbullying began early, and the rise of websites led to crap like maryjohnsonisabigfatwhore.com or whatever.

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Mom Of 4 Daughters's avatar

My heart aches for you and your loss. Thank you for having the strength to share this post and further open our eyes to the threats to our children. I almost lost my sister to addiction. You speak the truth.

Our schools (and almost all the normal social outlets associated with them) were shut for one and a half years. My kids were 11-15 in Mar 2020. One went trans, one clawed her way back through anxiety, one wrestled with a lot of bitterness about the whole thing—no one wants to admit the immense impact this had on this generation.

Deepest sympathies for you

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Ann's avatar

Thank you for sharing. I agree Covid had a big impact on all 3 of my kids. My son the most. At a time when teens and kids are supposed to be socializing they were shut up in their rooms, on computers, all day. It was so terribly unhealthy.

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Vincent's avatar

I’ve been saying this all along.

Weed is a cancer to society.

Males are in severe distress.

Gen Z is in an existential crisis.

The trans issue is a subset of a bigger issue.

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MeetandGreet's avatar

Society and government are absolutely not helping us with the marijuana issue. It is not ok for young brains to use marijuana recreationally and I find the claims of medical necessity dubious. The Biden admin has begun formal proceedings to downgrade marijuana to Class III.

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Mara U.'s avatar

I can’t even imagine the devastation. I’m so sorry.

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Canada Mom's avatar

thank you for sharing such a heart wrenching heads-up to us. I wish I knew what to say, big hugs to you and yours.

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Susan Z's avatar

The love of our children can be a beautiful pain.

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EndThisMadness's avatar

My heart absolutely breaks for you. You have described my son eerily perfectly, only he was 40 when he transitioned, 2 years ago. Same thoughts about drugs, but to my knowledge has still never tried them, never even smoked a cigarette. My daughter and he are close, she would know if he ever got into drugs because he would tell her I am sure of it. But, like you, we might never know.

Thank you for your story, as hard as it was to share. Your advice is priceless and it can only help other parents. I cried as I read it and can only offer prayers of comfort and strength, and my appreciation of your voice. Much love to you and your family.

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