The Irish twins Gracie and Brooklyn, born a year apart, were the youngest of the five siblings. They shared a beautiful bond as they were close in age and shared similar thoughts, but different personalities. While Gracie was a girly girl and loved her dolls, doll houses, sparkly dresses, and pink stuff, Brooklyn lived in a parallel world with trucks, jeans, and dirt. The parents accepted and loved both equally, as, of course, all children are born different, and Dad loved that one of her daughters preferred spending time with him and the older brothers.
The parents always wanted to have a little boy, but since Brooklyn’s birth, they have no longer considered it. Her outshining personality filled the house with joy and laughter. However, since Brooklyn turned four, what they noticed did not amuse them anymore. On the first day of kindergarten, she asked her mom to dress her up like a girl, and the mother was left speechless.
The mother, being wise, knew it was not about gender but about her identity. Kristen, the mother, did not know how to react as a thousand questions ran through her mind. She used to wear girly outfits, but never felt like she was meant to wear them. The moment she returned home, her t-shirt and backward cap were what she was seen in.
Although uncertainty covered her, Kristen was never sure how to react. Still, she always supported her wishes, e.g., she wanted to get clothes from the boys’ section, and how she wanted to be was more unusual than any other girl her age.
One time, when she had to wear a pink accent, it brought her to tears, but her dad picked her up and consoled her. The scenario ended with a green shirt with a toy attached. Soon, her dress was all about getting pants from the girls’ section and the shirts from the boys’ section.
The parents, to make sure she knew her identity, questioned her multiple times about her gender, and every time, without any hesitation, she responded, ‘I am a girl!’ At times, strangers mistook her and called her a boy, but she never corrected them when David asked why; she said she did not want to embarrass them. Although David did appreciate it, why would she put her feelings at stake to protect strangers?
Their home was full of love and acceptance, and no one was ever made to feel left out and unloved. Labels weren’t a part of the home, either.
Soon, in the next few years, Brooklyn told her family how she was into girls, and it wasn’t a shock for the family either. Everything remained the same.
David passed away from Brain Cancer, and this was the most challenging phase of her life as he was not just her father but her best friend and number one supporter, too. However, Kristen, the mother, did not let it shatter her and was there to protect her and her feelings no matter what.
Fast-forward a few years, and Brooklyn attends her first Pride parade. It is a large-scale one held in San Francisco, and it is the very first time Kristen feels that Brooklyn is not different.
There are thousands of people like her; she is not just meeting the right ones!
