Raising Ryland

These sorts of stories are important right now to help people understand the issue better so that the kids are less likely to suffer, not just in their own households but in the greater community. That said. for a child that we're told is so vocal about who he is, the book had very little of his actual voice. I think the adult Whittingtons are very strong and loving in standing up for their children, but I felt mom had so much of a voice, and the rest of the family so little, and at moments the tone seemed somewhat self-c0ngratulatory.

I don't have children, which I joke makes me an expert on how other people should raise theirs. This really is a joke. I realize I'm not in the trenches. But I must confess the Whittingtons were from a more conservative background than it's easy for me to understand. Ryland liked a pair of Star Wars underwear, and the family – extended family included – took this crazy hard. I mean, when they understood Ry was trans they were all in, which confuses me if Darth Vader briefs sent everyone into a panic, but much of the book is about the parents not just insisting Ry wear girls' clothes, but the most stereotypical, complete with bows in his hair, version of it. That might have even been a tough one for a child who identified as a girl.

But in the end, they're strong and loving parents who made the decision to be vocal advocates for their son and others like him, which I admire so much.