The StoicMom Project
The StoicMom Project
Shifting away from fighting a losing battle -with Christine
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Shifting away from fighting a losing battle -with Christine

conversations with stoic mamas along the way

This conversation is part of a special series in which I talk with other moms determined to find healthy ways of navigating gender ideology in their homes. Moms whose stories and strategies may inspire you.


Such a fun conversation with Christine! We begin with her describing how she became more comfortable putting herself out there in conversations, desensitizing to feelings of disappointment, so she could be open in her social circles about her experience with her TI son. What struck me about this conversation is Christine’s ability to experiment, get feedback about what works (and what doesn’t,) and use that information to adjust her approach. She talks about how her son’s 18th birthday created a shift for her. When she discovered his visit to Planned Parenthood, she had to acknowledge that she could no longer control his experience; she was forced to let that approach go and try something different. I loved her description that “this is bigger than me” and being able to let herself off the hook. With a new focus on self-awareness and working with her own triggers, she’s making progress on other important relationships in her life. She’s recognizing how she’s limited herself and is motivated to “reducing barriers” to her son’s sense of connection with his family.

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A bonus clip in which Christine explains a current dynamic with her son and I make a suggestion for her to test out with him:

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Discussion about this podcast

The StoicMom Project
The StoicMom Project
At this point, I have embraced this destabilizing, sometimes excruciating, sometimes wondrous experience of having a trans-IDed child as “curriculum of the soul.” Because I can’t help but imagine how different the world might be if we could all take the hardest thing in our lives and view it as this, as curriculum of the soul. Practitioners of Stoicism might say, "the obstacle is the way." These are my conversations and reflections--along the way.