I want to start a discussion about grief.  Many parents I talked to have felt grief and a sense of loss after their child disclosed to them.  I experienced this myself.  I knew my child was the same kid but I had to process my own expectations and understanding of gender.  My child wasn’t gone but I felt disconnected from him for awhile.  He was my only child and I felt very unsure of how to parent a boy.  On my own, not in front of my child, I cried and got angry and denied this was happening and pleaded and felt sorry for myself.  Then I came to acceptance.  For me it was a process I really needed to go through to get to the other side.  Now I feel very blessed to have a trans son.