kicotan

I could be wrong, but...The consultation they had with Dr. Bowers included more than just a weight loss goal. Dr. Bowers also spoke about sexuality and achieving(or at least attempting to achieve) some sort of sexual stimulation BEFORE the surgery.

I was born/raised in California, but both my parents came from Virginia. They were Called Momma & Daddy with the added bonus of sir/ma'am after a yes or no response. ?

Thank you! Most folks don't realize that the modern day version of LDS was forced, by the US government. They either gave up polygamy or, if they insisted upon it, lose their right to be considered a religion and forfeited their considerable assets to the government. i don't believe the tale the LDS spins that it was "revealed" by God to end the practice of polygamy. It was too conveniently timed with the threats the US government levied against them. I think it was wrong, personally, even though I'm in no way drawn to their religion or that type of lifestyle. As far as Dimitri is concerned, I'm reminded of the word "pimp" when a man, sans religious conviction, desires to be intimately connected with multiple women who bring income into the household.

And an even WORSE labor&delivery coach. Hot sauce ramen noodles to induce labor? The whole time she's in there behind the closed door I was picturing her just being in the way and not doing anything remotely useful or coach-y, just blathering about how SHE is feeling and doing some bizarre play-by-play as if Ashley (or the hospital staff who REALLY ARE helping) needs that sort of crap.

Agreed. Jeanette opined about how one puts their kids needs before their own, which is a good thing, BUT I think Jeanette has a hard time sussing out "needs" vs "wants". Lots of kids don't want to go to/don't like formal school for various reasons, but that doesn't mean they NEED to stay home from it, especially if they isolate themselves and binge eat in the privacy of their bedroom before they even go with the homeschool/online school option. Yes! I think the grandparents are a hoot! They seem fun and genuinely interested and involved. The soccer game was a great idea and got me wondering if there are any co-ed youth soccer leagues in their area? I remember from previous seasons they mentioned that Jazz was involved with soccer teams until the issue of girl team/boy team came up and then she wasn't allowed on the girl's team anymore so she quit playing. Putting more stock in hypnotherapy than embracing a healthy diet and putting the effort into burning calories seems ridiculous to me. I hope Jazz realizes the hypnotherapist won't be writing one of those letters she needs.

Indeed. He was a real piece of work. In my experience, being a woman unfortunately sometimes isnt as simple as having a pretty vagina/boobs, make-up, foundation garments and long hair. Sometimes you have to deal with ignorant, angry men. I sincerely hope that Jazz's family & Jazz put more stock in counseling/therapy and maybe a self-defense class or two In her transition to adulthood, since she will soon be 18. 85% of domestic abuse victims are women.

Thank you. It was hell on earth. I had no idea that folk could be so misinformed/hateful about something that is merely a natural female occurrence.

I agree with you that basic human anatomy/biology shouldn't be withheld from young people because of puritanical views. I remember back in grammar school one day all the girls had to go to the auditorium (I have no idea what the boys did during that time, but I bet they wondered why they couldn't attend). They showed us a movie about female anatomy/menstruation and then asked if there was any questions. Gosh, I feel so old! I have an ex, who obviously was uneducated in that he was convinced that if he saw evidence of any discharge in my panties (that he retrieved out of the pre-washed laundry basket and inspected) it was PROOF that I was cheating because it had to be semen. I laughed him off at first, tried to educate him that vaginas sometimes leave traces of their existence that have nothing to do with semen, to no avail. He was completely oblivious to the female anatomy/experience and used his willful ignorance to vindicate himself from the abuse he inflicted on me and every other partner he had...because we were all cheating liars.

Okay. So, she has gone through a simulated female puberty, after having her male puberty blocked, which to my understanding doesn't have a lot of clinical or even anecdotal information at present as to how that affects the mental processes of libido/attraction/desire/maturity. The physical results of supressed secondary male characteristics due to hormone blockers are reasonably well documented, but there doesn't seem to be much information on how that might also effect the brain (maturity/libido/sexual attraction to others). To me, and admittedly I could be wrong or just uneducated, I wouldn't expect Jazz to know who she is attracted to beyond a compatible personality or "soul", regardless of gender/preferred sexuality, because her brain development has been suppressed as well. In other words, I wouldn't expect that she would have much in common with a 17 year old female peer who was born with all of the female parts when it comes to maturity/libido/sexual attraction so to compare the two or measure her against them, would be pointless/frustrating/inappropriate. Again, I could be totally wrong, I'm no medical professional. My only experience with puberty is my own and I started menstruating around the same time Jazz started blocking puberty.

I think, and I could be wrong, Jazz would be considered pre-pubescent, in that her puberty has been blocked, even though she is 17. Since she is a guinea pig of sorts, in that she is in a small group of transgendered individuals who didn't progress naturally through puberty before receiving hormone therapy. I'm assuming that her progress, or lack thereof as far as sexuality/masturbation/attraction to others/maturity/libido is all part of the ongoing experience/experiment with regards to therapist sessions, medical/surgical intervention and advocacy for transgendered kids that her parents have decided to make public. I have a hard time understanding why anyone would think she wouldn't have issues/difficulties with libido/ sexuality/maturity that would need to be addressed, specific to her situation. If you are going to do a reality show and promote advocacy for other transgendered kids, might as well touch on some of the real issues she faces that other 17 year old females don't, because of the blocked puberty. For transgendered kids and their parents who are just starting their journey with a child that was Jazz's age when she started, it could be helpful to give them examples of things they will have to choose down the road as they get older. For better or for worse remains to be seen, I guess.

I went looky-looing about the internet and found a post on a gossip site that claimed that what Greg "does for a living" is run a foundation. Most folks that run foundations spend their time advocating and fundraising for said foundation. http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/ Perhaps Jeanette's support of their foundation and the propping up of the spokesperson (Jazz) for the foundation bleeds over into the way she mothers, or vice versa? just a thought.

I could have sworn Dr. Ting said "labia"...but, in Jazz's defense, I see lots of women referring to their labia as their vagina. (And it drives me batty!)

Hmmm. My understanding is the peritoneum is the abdominal tissue that encases your internal organs, not the colon itself. according to wiki: "The peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity or coelom in amniotes and some invertebrates, such as annelids. It covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs, and is composed of a layer of mesothelium supported by a thin layer of connective tissue."

I'm sorry but It confuses me when they get together for a social get-together (painting at the ceramics studio) and they talk about: a) Jazz's ongoing bottom surgery details and how important it is, etc. b) romantic partnering that never mentions any physical attributes as being important/desirable and even goes so far as to say the spirit/inside is the most important. Maybe it is just me and I'm having a hard time reconciling the two, or separating it out so that it makes sense. I will stipulate that I am older and suffer from menopausal fog from time to time, but if anyone could help me with that, I'd appreciate it! Also, I think Jazz's explanation of how it will work when she goes to get her letters from the therapists, "so you want to be a woman, you live like a woman, it's all good, girrlllll" (not the exact quote) was a very simplistic and immature view of what she is going to need to talk about/work with the therapist before approval, no?

Indeed...especially with the mumbling and lazy-ass attitude. I mean I realize obese folks do coke~John Belushi comes to mind~but if they are abusing alcohol, food, opioids and then throw a little coke in there to wake the hell up, (like the aforementioned Belushi) the coke isn't the worst of the problem.

Amen! of course, true to form, Whitney makes it all about herself and opines "how could I not know what with him in the same house and sleeping all the time". that's gotta be some shitty coke...or maybe it's something along the lines of an opiod instead?

Re: Maddie in pursuit of a nursing program. My daughter graduated from CSN (College of Southern Nevada) last year with an Associates Degree in Science. It is a community college, so it is a feeder into the University system. They do not have a BSN program, but graduates do get priority admission to UNLV, which does.

I could be wrong, I stipulate that I have been and might still be BUT, Mr. Kicotan used to dabble in mortgage financing so I asked him his opinion. He said acquiring a second mortgage means a bigger down than the first one, so if her Mom contributed her gain from selling her house to the down then that part would make sense if approved. Whatever her earnings from her business, seeing how it's an MLM (social retailer?), it wouldn't be considered/included as income on the BL. Her income from the show would be more than likely used. Proposing to the lender that it is a business purchase, not a second home, would also be in her favor and most likely result in approval, especially if the Vegas house's equity is also included as an asset, subject to lien, should she default on the second.

Exactly. The voice coach is an alleged professional, whom somebody paid for those 11 lessons. They should get a refund.

Christine had 11 sessions with a voice coach...I have a hard time believing ANY professional voice coach would encourage her to keep up the fantasy that she can soprano. Where did they find this woman, Craigslist? Meri seems just flat out delusional, and with as therapy happy as this bunch is I can't believe they aren't insisting she go for a few sessions with Nancy to figure out why she seems so far out of touch with any kind of reality. Mykelti's references to his family being "Spanish" made my eyes roll so hard I wasn't sure they'd ever roll back. The original piñata is an Italian thing, brought by Marco Polo back from China and then brought by the Spanish to Mexico.

I realize that being able to orgasm isn't the deciding factor in her getting bottom surgery, but I found it interesting and also a bit confusing. if Jazz has been suppressed from going through puberty, why would sexual attraction or the ability to orgasm be expected?

That's a good question. I also wonder if blocking puberty negatively affects the typical growth/changes in the brain that go along with unsupressed puberty. I looked for information online about it and there's a lot of they "just don't know" going on. i feel sorry for Jazz in that it seems like her choices are more limited by her puberty suppression than not.

Maybe it's just me but Penelope's Penelope voice is hard to understand sometimes...?

I could be wrong but didn't she get the Arabic tattoo on her wrist after they broke up?