Back to school is a bit more dramatic for Wren Kauffman this year. When he goes back, he will be showing his true colours: even though he is a girl on the outside, on the inside he is every bit a boy.
According to an article in the Toronto Star, the 11 year old from Edmonton is openly living with his transgender identity. A brave feat for someone so young.
“If you’re not yourself, then it kind of gets sad and depressing,” says wise-beyond-his-years Wren. “I’m glad that I told everybody.”
As many as six of every 1,000 students experience transgenderism, say recent studies. While some families switch schools, or even provinces, to get a fresh start, the Kauffmans have opted for a more direct approach, 'transitioning' their son's sex over the summer months.
Born Wrenna, Wren claims to have always felt like a boy, ditching dresses for Spiderman from his earliest years. Though his parents hoped the phase would pass, they considered that their daughter might be gay before conceding the sadness and frustration that came from living the gender assigned to him.
“I love you whether you’re a boy or a girl and I understand now," his mother finally said. "And we’ll figure out how we can help you. And we’ll do it together.”
The decision to go to the media was the Kauffmans' way of helping other families in the same predicament. When Wren 'came out' to his classmates, they were surprisingly supportive.
For those who are curious about the finer points, much like this child, Wren uses the boys' bathroom and changes in a stall in the boys’ gym locker room. He has already begun a drug plan to stall the onset of (female) puberty, and will take male hormones at age 16. At 18, he will consider whether to have gender reassignment surgery.
Do you feel honesty is the best policy for kids like Wren, or just an open invitation to bullies?
About the latter, Wren has a very mature approach. “People tease me right now and I can handle it. The way that I like to look at it is that they’re just practice for the real jerks in life. “. . . I don’t think I need people who don’t like me.”
Twins. Double the work, double the pleasure? If you are of the opinion that children are a blessing no matter how many sacs they come in, then this post will likely rub you the wrong way. A couple has recently opened up about their disappointment upon discovering that they were expecting not one but two babies. The mom recently attempted to justify their reaction in an article in the Huffington Post.
The couple underwent IVF, hoping to give their three year old a sibling. What they weren't expecting was twins. And the news that there were two embryos hit them hard, stealing their joy and replacing it with a sense of doom.
Even though doctors implanted two embryos, no one expected both to turn out healthy. So they transferred both, knowing the "success rate of just one implantation was 40 percent." Then the anon mom describes her reaction upon hearing that she was carrying healthy twins, as "dazed and unhappy." In her mind, she "had done nothing less than ruin our family."
Sure, many of us are somewhat disappointed if we were hoping for a boy and get a girl or vice versa. But that disappointment typically lasts a nanosecond before you realize how absurdly lucky you are to have a healthy child to love and call your own.
In this mom's case, doubly so, since falling pregnant in itself was a hurdle. Yes, she feels like "shit pretty much all of the time physically." Well, join the masses. Most moms know sickness in pregnancy is the price you pay, the effect of all those monstrous changes happening to your body. Besides, pregnancy is not forever. Some love it; others loathe it. But it's a means to an end, and a worthy one at that.
The mom goes on to mourn the financial burden of twins. (This, from a family that was able to afford IVF treatment, a luxury in itself.) She blames karma for delivering this burden.
Clearly her mindset is at fault. Let's hope she gets the right therapy to help her "see the light at the end of the tunnel," before her children are born into a life of resentment. There is no shame in feeling depressed, but there is shame in letting mental illness go untreated.
Do you think this mom is suffering from maternal depression or just lacking in gratitude?
Health Canada, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) and Baby Jogger LLC have jointly recalled the Baby Jogger Car Seat Adaptor manufactured between April 1, 2012 and Sept 20, 2012 in the following models:
If the car seat adaptor is not properly installed into the brackets, the car seat support bars may fail, resulting in a fall hazard to children.
While there have been no reports of incidents in Canada, the U.S. received 47 reports of the car seat adaptor support bars failing, resulting in fallen car seats and two children sustaining bruises to the head and toes.
Customers are advised to stop using the recalled adaptors until they receive the free replacement support bar, which was modified in every adapter manufactured after September 20, 2012. Contact Baby Jogger (toll free) at 1-866-774-7177 for the replacement parts.
From June 15, 2012 through July 15, 2013, approximately 6,500 adaptors were sold in Canada, and 23,700 in the United States.
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