25 Comments
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Charlie's avatar

Breathtakingly beautiful story of woe. It brought me to tears. Tears that don't flow readily anymore because if they did so with every sorrowful story I encounter, I would have cried myself to death.

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distressed parent's avatar

My college age son is stuck in this abyss. During his freshman year, Planned Parenthood gave him HRT like it was candy. The suffering around this ongoing ambiguous loss has seemed beyond words. Your words give voice to this pain.

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Marn's avatar

Nailed it. This is exactly how I feel. It’s a nightmare for parents turned into real life and everyone is clapping and encouraging them to jump and hit the bottom. Who is to blame for breaking my beautiful child?

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Vikki McDonald's avatar

I cried when I read this. This is me too, dangling my hand into that abyss, hoping my daughter will just grab my hand. I just hope she climbs out eventually, before it gets too late. There are stages I feel like giving up because I'm just too exhausted fighting, but my love for her is infinite, so that keeps me going.

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Indio's avatar

As a grandma and great grandma, my heart aches for you and your daughter. As my husband (Papa) was dying, our beloved grandson decided to leap. Through this time, we were totally unprepared to deal with anything but the immediacy. With death staring at him, Papa said, "Buddy, I do not understand at all, but I will always love you." Now, nine years later, with the love of my life gone from this earth, I wonder what we could have done to help our boy see how wrong this was. We had no control, no power of any sort, I guess, as we watched him begin to transition into chaos. Frozen in time, this bright and talented young man lives a half-life, shrouded in delusion, gaming his life away. Our family has been torn apart, with Papa's death. financial issues and Buddy's siblings delving into transgenderism also. All these dear ones were abused sexually as young children and suffered through pain and turmoil with the adults in their lives letting them down in so many ways, such as untreated mental illness, addiction and abandonment. 3 of my grandchildren, I feel, are grabbing onto this nightmare, hoping that it will ease their pain. I pray that they see the truth eventually and climb out of the abyss. Thank you for sharing your story, you describe your daughter's journey so beautifully, and lovingly. You have helped me and many others. And dear friend, you have fought the good fight.

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Person's avatar

Thank you also for sharing. We have to keep fighting, try to put barriers around the abyss. Some of us have grieved for years. We cling onto hope, shining a light into the dark abyss. The truth will be exposed.

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Cathy's avatar

What a poignant piece. I was lucky, my daughter was one who went to the edge, looked over, thought about it and decided to walk completely away. Her issue now, at 18, is that she is constantly terrified of being labelled a transphobe because she doesn't sign the right petition, send endless hearts when an aquaintence announces their 'jump' or put pronouns on her insta page. She certainly daren't ever actually speak her truth away from home. So the kids who could help provide that rope are silenced through peer pressure.

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Christina's avatar

Mine jumped..

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Cathy's avatar

So very sorry. I can't imagine the distress

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LovingMother's avatar

I'm so sorry.

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Katie1178's avatar

I love this metaphor. It portrays the current state of things and how we parents feel perfectly. Thank u

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slow it down's avatar

All of this. Have never felt so powerless.

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I am Meredith's avatar

You've captured the terror that parents of ROGD kids expereince.

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Anonamom's avatar

Major truth bomb, right there! Thank you for sharing your vulnerable world.

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Coco's avatar

beautifully said. thank you for capturing my sentiments exactly. 💔💔💔

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Motherforever's avatar

Thank you for putting into words, what I have been feeling the last 9 months. I keep sitting down to start and write, but for now the words still dont come out. Only tears, shortness of breath and a desire to sleep so to not think. The trauma to watch your child go through this transformation is so very hard to express and the pain deep down in your bones the hardest thing to endure. I too pray that one day my son will look up and grab my hand.

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Lisa Salamone Coaching's avatar

Spot on analogy. ❤️

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LovingMother's avatar

Painful and wonderful illustration of what is happening. It seems like this is a description that people who are only dimly aware of the abyss but have been made into unwitting "supporters" might grasp. Light bulbs could go off in the heads of those who believe they should just wave at those jumping because they are "cisgender" and wouldn't understand? I wonder whether some small town paper might publish it? It could get taken up? Maybe I am dreaming.

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Accidental Activist's avatar

Heartbreaking and relatable read. Thank you for sharing and summing up the feelings of so many of us.

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Person's avatar

Thank you for sharing. This resonates with me. It is great to be free to express these deep feelings in this safe place. Watching a child fall is a parent’s worst nightmare. On top of that we have to deal with government agencies praising our children for leaping and criminalising us when we try to hold out our hand or even a rope!. We understandably would have a right to feel angry? This is what motivates me to keep writing about this cult.

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