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 | Ms. Lola, I'm so concerned about Benny. All he wants to do is play dress up and paint his nails, and he's started referring to himself as a girl. | |
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| Oh no...I am NOT an expert on this, what can I possibly say that will be helpful...just take a breath Lola, you don't need to be an expert, just kind...listen, be empathetic, "do what you know and you'll know what to do." | |
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| I'm concerned about how other kids are going to treat him in class. Will he be bullied!? All I want for him is to feel safe and to be thriving. | |
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| Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I am here to support you and Benny in any way I can. I know it feels challenging but I can give you some excellent resources and connect you with our school counselor who is amazing. In fact, I was just reading this article that I think could be really helpful. Here, let me send you a link. It's from Healthykids.org, "Parenting a Gender Diverse Child: Hard Questions Answered." | |
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| Thank you, I'll check it out. But what can we do to make him feel safe at school? | |
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| I understand your concerns, I was already planning a class discussion about the differences that each of us have, to promote empathy and inclusivity in our classroom. What a perfect time for us to start having that conversation. Especially while our students are young. I so appreciate you coming to me. We are going to support Benny and your family. Feel free to contact me anytime with concerns and let's plan to connect again next week. | |
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