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talking to parents without coming out

Discussion in 'Family, Friends, and Relationships' started by earthlvr510, Jun 19, 2013.

  1. earthlvr510

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    So as a result, im assuming, of my gender dysphoria im very depressed and have axiety issues and im not doing well in school. Im going into my senior year of college and my parents got a letter that Im on accademic probation. Unfortunantly im not home this summer so i wasnt able to intercept it. My problem is that they want to know WHY im not doing well in school. They keep trying to get me to switch majors or take time off and live at home and get things sorted out, which im sure would just make things worse because being home is really uncomfertable for me. I also love my major and hate that im not learning as much as a can about it but i just cant get out of bed some days. Im only just begining to figure out that my social anxiety is stemming from my gender dysphoria and it gets so bad sometimes that i dont leave my room for days at a time which means i end up missing a lot of class. I know that i will have a hard enough time telling them that im dealing with depression to start with but fending them off from trying to figure out why im depressed is not going to be easy. They are very against the idea of depression, they see it more as a lack of willpower than any sort of mental issue, so theres going to be some serious judgemnt there. I am in therapy in school and im working through those issues but i cant figure out how to tell them that im dealing with "it" and not letting them know what "it" is. They dont let things like this go. As i am only starting to become more comfertable with myself and my identity and things like pronouns I am in no way ready to come out to them. If i just say that ive been depressed they wont let it drop untill they know what started it all. I hate lying to them but i just dont see another way around it.
     
  2. Asari

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    It seems like you don't have very supportive parents and this is causing you even more anxiety then you are already dealing with. So you are having trouble with school, you are trying to figure yourself out, and you are worried about what your parents think about you. I am going to be honest with you, telling your parents is not the best way to feel better about yourself. Right now you want to confide in someone who will support you, but it seems like your parents are not the most supportive of your decisions. I would strongly recommend that you take some time to gain confidence and confide in a friend or therapist before telling them. Right now you are really sensitive and feel pressured to tell them, but honestly maybe you need to distance yourself from them a little bit. You are an adult and you are shaping your own future, what you do with your life is truly none of your parents business. Are your parents financially supporting you a lot? That would make their opinion weigh a little more.

    I was in the exact same spot you were in a few months ago and my parents were trying to bully me out of the closet so that they could criticize me. I very calmly told them that I respect their opinion but that my life is my own concern. After I distanced myself from them for a few months and got my school career back together I earned their respect. They realized that they couldn't pressure me into changing myself. I have never officially come out to them because I don't think it is the smartest decision yet. But I will one day. (maybe when they earn it)

    The greatest advice I can give you as someone who was in your shoes is that your parents will only have as much power over you as you allow them. And the greatest leverage you have over them is your respect and your time. This is a little more complicated if they control most of your finances, but even if they do your personal life is none of their business right now.

    Now I am only assuming the worst. They may be 100% supportive of you in the future, but right now you need to take care of yourself.
     
  3. earthlvr510

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    Thanks for the advice, and your right, they need to learn that its not really there buisness anymore and its my decision what i tell them and what i dont. Unfortunantly i am still reliant on them financially, though my last year of school is all in loans so its all on me at this point. Im still reliant on them for some other things though. For the most part they are very supportive, more concerned than anything at the moment because theres obviously something going on. I just know that if I tell them anything at all they wont let it go untill they've pried the truth out of me. I dont think they would ever cut me off completely but they would definetly be less likely to help me out if i needed them. I can probably play it off as a lack of mitivation, which is partly true, and leave it at that. If they push too hard I'll just tell them its something i need to figure out on my own.
     
  4. Asari

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    When my mom found out she started supporting me a lot less. (I haven't officially told her) However I think this is mostly due to my families financial trouble. It was a little stressful for a while but now I budget hardcore and get student loans to help out. You do have the power to tell them or not tell them, I would just recommend you don't if your not emotionally ready for it. If you are ready for any positive or negative reaction then go for it. If you aren't ready then you can keep it from them and you probably should keep it from them.