C.J. loves Todd Parr’s book It’s Okay to Be Different.  C.J. also loves playing on my iPad (which he calls “his iPad,” much to the annoyance of his brother).  So, imagine how much he loves the new It’s Okay to Be Different app. “The team at Storypanda Books worked with Parr’s publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers to add a layer of interactivity to this beloved title. The ability to select different characters, clothing, and props on each page means kids can customize the book to match their own life experiences. In doing so, the message feels more personal to each and every child allowing them to identify closely with certain instances where they may have felt ‘different.’”  Download the app here:  (https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/id521512463).

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People in the Spokane area of Washington, listen up!  I’ve been contacted by a licensed mental health counselor and a mother of a seven-year-old transgender child.  They have formed a playgroup open to all gender nonconforming and transgender children up to the age of 13. It provides children with a supportive and positive space where they can socialize with other children expressing comparable ranges of gender fluidity.  It is designed to run concurrently with the parents’ group and conveniently allows parents the opportunity to meet while their children are having supervised fun in the same building.  Both groups are supervised by licensed mental health therapists and the playgroup has young adult mentors who identify along the gender spectrum. There is no charge for either group. For more information, send an email to transgendercare@live.com.

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Don’t live near Spokane, WA?  Instead, you live near St. Louis in Missouri?  You should check out TransParent, a St. Louis-based organization dedicated to providing compassionate support and resources to parents and caregivers raising a gender independent child.  TransParent provides support, information and resources to help parents confidently navigate their gender independent child’s personal journey of self-discovery to authentic living.  If you are raising a gender independent or transgender child but don’t live in the St. Louis area, you should check out their website, which has some useful resources. http://www.transparentstl.org