Innocence
Submitted by Jenn
“At my father’s wedding, listening to an “Abby story” as we call them. This was my first time wearing a tie, and also the first time I truly felt like my outside matched my insides. While many guests were staring quizzically throughout the day, I enjoyed the innocent, unquestioning acceptance of youth.”
Posted by omggeek on February 19th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Category: faces 7 comments »
February 19th, 2011 at 5:30 pm |
Adorable, both of you!
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February 19th, 2011 at 6:10 pm |
You look adorable, and this is adorable. Someone got a great shot!
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February 20th, 2011 at 6:42 am |
This picture is really beautiful, and it really says something amazing.
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February 20th, 2011 at 5:03 pm |
Hey! This is me! Glad to see it made it up. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I still love this picture as much as when I submitted it months ago.
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February 21st, 2011 at 11:46 am |
I love this picture! I hope this will be my own son/daughters experience when I have him/her years from now! It’s just such a beautiful picture! Kudos to you for being strong enough to be yourself. That is what I would want my kids to experience around them and for themselves as they grow up in this world. :)
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February 21st, 2011 at 5:47 pm |
Yep. We’ve had to have a couple of conversations about why “Aunt Jenni” (my family has NO idea that I’m anything more than a butch/tomboy) looks like a boy and who the girl with her is… Abby, shown here, actually was naming her family one day (which she learned in school) and couldn’t figure out who my gf was… So my sister said the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever heard… simple, honest truth:
“Aunt Jenni loves Amiee (my ex now) like Mommy loves Daddy.”
That was all she needed to know. =)
I’ve also dedicated myself to openly answering questions and making sure that these 3 kids understand that gender roles and stereotypes aren’t mandatory.
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February 22nd, 2011 at 7:30 am |
It’s amazing how often little kids have responded positively to me when I’ve been dressed either androgynously or in “boy mode.” A girl I was seeing used to babysit for two wonderful young boys, and I was very fond of them both. She told them once I’d be coming over, and one of them exclaimed, “Uncle Julianna is coming!” Something about that warmed my heart to an extent that I cannot explain. By and large, children have been some of the most accepting and curious people I have had the pleasure of interacting with.
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