While some parents may have suspected or denied it, many never imagined such a possibility. This is particularly true in situations where the grown children adopted stereotyped roles and socially-acceptable gender behaviors in order to mask their gender identity issues or crossdressing needs. While it may be difficult to accept that your child has these issues, and it may not initially be possible to offer validation or acceptance, please remember that your child needs your love and compassion. Do not reject your son or daughter because this may result in unresolvable differences. While some parents may believe that their child is not well and needs help, others may think they themselves need help.
Chances are, probably nothing.
After all, if a child is asking self-examination questions, a parent is likely to have done more right than wrong. While parental self-doubt is not be useful to anyone, asking questions is healthy. If you are a parent with a son or daughter who has transgender issues, whether or not he or she lives under your roof, I advise you read about gender issues from recognized sources of current information. Do not rely on television talk shows or uninformed persons, it is likely their facts are sensationalistic or extremely biased. Instead, seek advice from a gender-specializing counselor or sexologist.