Dad pens powerful message for offspring on the day he transitioned from his daughter to his son

Societal norms make it difficult for many people to find or come to terms with their identity. But things become massively easier if the person gets unconditional support from their parents or guardians. In the case of 21-year-old Jake Ralston who was born as Madeline Ralston, the unconditional support came from his dad who stood by him every step of the way. The dad even penned a beautiful and powerful message for his son on the day he officially transitioned from Madeline or Maddy to Jake, reports The Washington Post.

The dad's heartwarming message is a testimony to the unrelenting love he has for his child and it has warmed people's hearts on the internet. The dad, Jon Ralston, published the letter on his blog Ralston Live under the title "The child I love" after Jake called him to break the news that he'd officially changed his name. “I’ve never heard my kid as giddy as he was after the hearing today. He finally is who he always wanted to be. I can just hear the relief in his voice," Ralston told the publication. “I’ve been thinking about [writing the post] for a long time, and Jake has wanted me to do it for a long time. After he called me to tell me, I just decided to go sit at my desk, and the words and emotions poured out of me," the dad expressed.

“When Maddy Ralston came into this world almost 21 years ago, it was love at first sight. I cradled her in my arms, my adopted miracle and couldn’t stop crying. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen," the dad wrote in his blog. He recalled how his daughter had always disliked traditionally girly stuff. “If you get me a doll for Christmas, I’ll cut its head off,” he remembered her saying. Ralston described how his daughter always wore khaki pants, went fishing instead of the mall and didn't care about being the "stunning blonde blue-eyed kid." Maddy was a full-on tomboy even before high school as per her dad. "She told me she wanted to be a boy," he revealed.

Regardless, the father was unconditionally and irrevocably in love. "The father-daughter bond was growing ever stronger. We did everything together. I rarely missed a game, be it soccer or basketball or volleyball or flag football," he continued. "I loved making occasional allusions to her in my writing, calling her 'The Teen.'" However, things were not always easy for Jake as he was bullied in high school. "High school girls are the worst. They whispered she was a lesbian, and I figured they were right. I didn’t care. She was my Maddy. That’s all that mattered," Ralston continued. His child went from having a boyfriend for a while to a girlfriend but things didn't feel quite right.

"Maddy never really talked about what the truth was until junior year. But somehow she had known since she was five," the dad disclosed. "I don’t think I even listened very well when Maddy told me a few years ago she was really a male inside, that she was transgender. Sure, you are, I thought. It’s just a phase, I was certain," he remarked. The dad realized that his kid had been through a lot with changing schools, losing her mom and not knowing who she was. "Slowly but surely, I have come to not just accept it but to embrace it," Ralston added. "When I get home later this week, I will see someone officially named Jake Ralston for the first time. And one thing I know for certain: It will be love at first sight."

The dad supported his son throughout the process when he started talking about surgery for transitioning and when he started taking testosterone to enable the process. “My first instinct, as ever, has been to protect my child, to make sure Maddy is safe and happy. That’s all most parents ever want for their children. Life is difficult as it is. But with so much ignorance out there breeding so much fear, so much visceral recoiling from the concept of transgenderism, I fear this will make Maddy’s life that much harder," the dad noted. Regardless, Ralston is hopeful that most people apart from a few "hateful ones" will come around eventually.