Learning Through my Niece's Eyes

 

To Learn,

To Love,

To Grow.

To be Open

In both Mind and Heart.

To Look at the World

Through someone else's eyes.

That is the true crystal ball,

The Teller of Truth, of the Future

That lies ahead.

It is the best we can give unto one another.

The most precious gift.

Bringing with it both 

Peace and Calm.

 

   This past week, I had a wonderful Spring Break, with my niece in town, I got a chance to hang out with her for the first time in a long while. She has been going through a great deal, first with the isolation due to Covid, as a preadolescent -- what with Colorado being a bit more stringent with their protocols and lock down(s) -- it was difficult for her to adjust to things like not being able to see her friends, to connect face-to-face with others her age. Aside from the issues surrounding the pandemic, Akcera, as she prefers to be known by, has come forward to her parents, myself, and the rest of the family as being gender fluid. She still wishes to be referenced using she/her/hers pronouns, and is still learning a great deal about herself, as she moves into these adolescent years, along with the world which surrounds her. 

    She is at a time in her life when she feels as though she's in a sort of limbo, not quite a little kid anymore, but not quite a grown-up, either. I remember what this felt like, so many years ago, and it was no walk in the park, and I recall very clearly the struggles I went through. Although, for my niece, the battles she encounters are much different from my own; I am a cisgender female, and she is experiencing a change within herself that I never tackled. It's not altogether easy for me to put into words, at least not as clearly as I would like, but I am aware that now the best thing I and everyone can do for her is to simply listen, because we are all still striving to understand. I love my niece, our whole family adores her, she is a brave, strong, intelligent, and beautiful young person, who I can see growing into the most amazing adult I'll ever have the privilege of knowing.