Ella Scott told her parents she didn’t feel like a boy when she was just six years old. Her parents Nikki, 38, and Graham, 39, initially believed their daughter was going through a phase, but they soon realized she was adamant about embracing her trans identity.

In order to inform Ella’s extended family of her journey, the family chose to celebrate her eighth birthday with a “gender reveal” party and photo session.

‘With Ella it’s like she always knew but we just didn’t,’ mum Nikki said.

“We always knew she was a little different when she was little, as she was always friends with girls and played with Frozen toys.

“I have two other children, Ella’s brothers, two cisgender boys who play rough but Ella never wanted to join in. 

“At age six she wanted to start wearing girls’ clothes like skirts and dresses.

“I must admit with Ella being our first child and that being all we knew, I thought it might just be a phase. One Halloween we decided to let Ella pick her own costume and she wanted to be a cat so she wore a skirt and cat ears.

“Neither of us knew what the right thing to do was so we showed Ella books of trans people because she didn’t have the words to say it. 

“Eventually, she did. She said, ‘I’m not a boy, I don’t feel like this inside.'”

“We were so confused,” Nikki admitted, “asking ourselves if she was too young and were we doing the right thing. 

“We wanted to ensure what we were doing wasn’t harmful or damaging.

“We arranged a consultation with a psychologist from our local child mental health center, Reach Out Centre for Kids, and they ensured we were doing the right thing.

“From here we let Ella take the lead. In grade one she started using she/her pronouns, eventually growing her hair longer and wearing girls’ clothing.

“Ella did get upset when her hair wasn’t growing fast but apart from that she is a very happy girl with an upbeat character and has been throughout her journey.”

The mother reported that Ella’s friends and family have since shown a lot of support.

“Grade one was confusing as some peers were saying she wasn’t a girl,” Nikki said. “However, we chose to move Ella and the rest of our kids.

“Ella’s new school was a perfect place for her to explore who herself further and her teachers have been so supportive too. She has a great group of friends around her as well.

“Family gave her the most supporting and loving reaction as expected when she came out. 

“It’s her family, her home and that means her safe space.”

In order to encourage other parents who are going through a similar scenario, Nikki has also created a social media page where she shares Ella’s transition journey.

She said: “When she transitioned I found loads of resources for youths but not for kids. In most local clinics the rules are that you need to start puberty before you can get in and that means Ella wouldn’t qualify.

“I want parents to feel they have a safe space because we didn’t have anyone else us to help at the start of our journey.

“My page is to raise awareness of transgender kids and a supportive community for the parents.”

Source: unilad.co