How Can We Help Our Children Understand Complex Issues Such as Transgenderism?

Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’”

Have you ever heard of the word “theybies?” It’s a term that some parents assign to their babies so they are not identified with a specific gender. These parents are using gender-neutral names or pronouns such as they and them. Some children are born and raised in a Christian home and are identified as a boy or a girl but decide, later in life, that they don’t want to live according to their birth gender.

How can we, as the body of Christ, support these children and their parents? And if it’s our children, what should we expect from our sisters and brothers in Christ?

During this episode, Lee Ann elaborates on these suggestions regarding parenting children surrounded by dysphoria and transgenderism:

1. Learn these terms for yourself first, and then explain these terms to your child.
2. If you don’t know the answer, be honest and be willing to do the research.
3. Ensure your child fully understands that they can come and discuss anything with you and that you will listen to them and guide them, not judge them or their friends.
4. Explain to your child that we are to be respectful to all people – we are to emulate the love of Christ towards all people, even with those we don’t agree with.
5. If your child is having a hard time understanding why someone would choose a transgender life, seek a Christian counselor who has experience specifically dealing with this issue.
6. If you are a Christian parent of a transgender child, seek a biblically based church that will love and support you.
7. Always express the love of Jesus. We are to love all our brothers and sisters and even our enemies. Christian hypocrisy confuses our children and can cause them to mistrust our words and actions if we misrepresent the true image of God.

Luke 6:37 states, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Resources mentioned: God Made Boys and Girls, by Marty Machowski, and “Biblical View on Transgender Identity: A Primer for Parents and Strugglers,” by Focus on the Family.

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