24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

I had a good childhood. Two parents who quite apparently loved one another. An older brother who wasn't so old as to be unrelatable.  We hiked and camped and played board games. Went to church most Sundays. Ate breakfast and dinner together. My brother and I each had sets of chores. Feeding the animals. Raking grass. Taking trash out. Doing dishes. After dinner we'd have a sort of family Bible reading and prayer. Until high school neither my my brother nor I got into much trouble. Then he did. I feel that a lot of expectation rested on me. I went to college, unlike my brother. I refrained from having a kid, unlike my brother. I didn't get addicted to drugs, unlike my brother. I didn't move back in, unlike my brother. However, unlike my brother, I decided to transition and break my mother's heart. I'm almost certain that's what's happened. We don't talk about it at all anymore. My parents and I are still able to have intelligent and meaningful conversations, but we skip the things that are most important. And I don't think that's a bad thing. It's just a survival thing. I'm glad that they haven't decided to never speak to me. I'm glad they've stopped trying to stop me from being myself. Hopefully someday they'll see me as I am.