VOICESJust when I thought my Gen Alpha daughter could no longer surprise me, she proved me wrong. Beyond the Skibidi language (if you know, you know), things have taken a turn; it's wild, quite literally wild. Think animals, but make it fashionable.
While my Gen Z daughter navigates identity through gender, my Gen Alpha daughter comes around with friends who identify as entirely different species.
Welcome to the era of the furry, therian, otherkin and perhaps more categories we haven't discovered.
So, when I see 10-year-old girls strolling through the mall sporting wolf tails, I've had to accept, it's no longer Halloween. This is their identity tail and even how they introduce themselves.
I was just getting the hang of the they/them pronouns. When my daughter said, "They're coming over," I'd innocently ask, "How many people?" Cue her utter horror when she explained it was one friend who didn't identify by traditional her/him gender.
Now, I think it's time to hang up my "cool parent" badge. Keeping up with these evolving trends feels impossible and, honestly, it's way more fun to embrace my new role as "embarrassing parent".
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(It's a rite of passage, right?) My parents did it to me, and, while I swore I'd never subject my children to such torment, it's just too easy these days with howling at the dinner table.
So, what exactly are furries, therians and otherkin? If you're like me and would have to Google these terms after your child had casually mentioned them, here's the lowdown...
A furry is someone who feels a deep connection to anthropomorphic animals; think cartoon creatures with human traits ... say, Bugs Bunny.
Some furries express this connection by creating elaborate animal personas (or "fursonas") that reflect who they are - detailed costumes, art and even social media accounts.
It's not just a hobby - for many, it's a full-blown subculture.
Therians, however, believe they have a spiritual or psychological connection to a specific animal, as though they are that animal on some level, whether it's a wolf, a fox or even a mythical creature.
Some therians even claim to experience "shifts", when they embody the instincts of their chosen animal.
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Otherkin go further by identifying as beings such as mythical creatures -dragons, elves or fairies - and, yes, as beings from other dimensions.
These identities might seem new, but they've actually been around for decades.
But where does this leave parents? Somewhere between confusion and admiration, I'd say.
One day, you're trying to wrap your head around pronouns, the next, you're asking yourself whether you need to make space in the closet for a set of wings.
