Our extended family greeted the news with curiosity, gentle questions, and acceptance. No one sets out to test the boundaries of familial love. Sometimes, there isn’t a choice. When you’re dangling over a cliff by a rope, you find out who is there for you, despite the blisters, despite the rope burn. We have the kind of family with callouses and a big stash of band-aids.
Jake transitioned socially in a series of steps, unhurried and at his own pace. His clothes, hair, and general style changed a few times, like most teens: