Onward And Upward

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu 

Our journey is far from over.  Our journey has just begun.  It’s been about a month since we changed pronouns in our home and a couple of weeks since we announced it to everyone.  This is still just the beginning of our journey.

For close to three years, Hayden had been trying to tell us she was a girl.  It started with Elsa, then dress-up dresses, then a pandemic hit, which allowed Hayden the freedom to wear dresses all the time.  She then started to grow her hair out and wear dresses to kindergarten.  She was always telling us who she was.  We just didn’t quite know how to listen to her at first.  But she knew.  And she was patient with us.  And we read, researched, and talked with people.  And we learned.  And we began to understand.  

But that was just the very beginning of the journey we are on together.  There is still so much for us to learn and discover together.  Not only have we had to discover who our true friends are, but we’ve had to deal with negativity from loved ones.  Most have been completely supportive, but some just aren’t sure about a trans-5-year-old girl.  

I hate to put such a large burden on Hayden’s little shoulders, but she has become an educator in a sense.  She has shown people to not be afraid of who they are.  She has shown people that you can know who you truly are at a young age.  She has shown people that it’s okay to be different.  Because your differences make you special.  

Right now, we as her parents, are her strongest advocates.  But someday, she will have to advocate for herself.  She will have to stand up for her right to be who she truly is.  I can only hope that one day, society will be more open to people like her.  Things are better than my parents’ and grandparents’ generation for people like Hayden, but it’s still a tough journey for a lot of people.  I hope someday, the journey won’t have to be as tough.  

I started my blog in hopes to connect with others who had a boy who loved to wear dresses.  I wanted to encourage people that they should never shy away from what they loved.  I wanted people to have the courage to be their true selves.  And I feel like I was able to do that with some people.  But now I don’t have a boy in a dress.  I have a girl who has always loved dresses.  I have a girl who has always been a girl.  I was the one who was confused.  I was the one who wasn’t sure.  Hayden was always sure.  

This blog was the beginning of this journey for me.  A way for me to share with others what our life was like.  But now, things have changed.  And Life With A Boy In A Dress just doesn’t seem to fit.  Life is always changing.  And so, I feel my blog must change too.  Not in the stories or the wonderful children’s books I find, but in the name.  A new name that fits our journey.  That allows our journey together to continue.  Onward and Upward.  Our journey goes on.  We have just completed a single step together.  Now here’s to many more.  

So I am asking for some help from all of you.  I’m not a tech-savvy person, so I’m not even sure how to go about changing my domain name.  Or if it’s even possible to change a current domain.  But I do know we need a name change.  And writing comes easy for me, but coming up with titles has always been difficult.  So any help with possible ideas would be greatly appreciated!  I want a name that can go along with our journey.  That can hold up with change and age.  A name that can help us continue sharing our journey with everyone.  Thank you all for following our journey and continuing to support us in so many wonderful ways!