Who were you?

Naturally did very well in school without a lot of effort (in the subjects that appealed to me, anyway) and was one of the kids who generally got along with everyone except the huge assholes. Teachers loved me, and I tended to connect the best with the ones the other students hated or complained were too tough. I wasn't involved in sports but was friends with many who were. But I also was friends with the skateboarders and burnouts and artists and hopeless nerds. Kind of "O-negative blood" in that way -- universal donor. You could drop me in with any group and it would be friendly and comfortable. I also knew what I wanted to do with my career from age 15 and had skills beyond my age that most people knew about, which gave me some confidence.

Girls? Eh. Not as much luck there. I pined over a series of young woman starting around middle school but often overdid it with the sensitive, romantic approach to trying to get together, which isn't as effective when you're a teenager. They just think it's weird. Once I learned to just be myself more and not make everything so serious, I was more successful and had a sweet, pretty girlfriend most of my senior year of high school. She was a good Catholic girl, though, so I was 19 before I lost my virginity - sophomore in college with a different girlfriend. By that point, I had become more outgoing and had figured out that many women really, really just like a cute guy who can make them laugh.

Had I been more successful with girls earlier, I wouldn't have been a player. I've always had a pretty strong compass when it comes to loyalty, commitment, never cheating.

Crossdressing came much later. I was well aware of my pantyhose fetish as a teenager (puberty + seeing girls in pantyhose was my sexual awakening), but I had no idea the rest of this would come all pouring out of me eventually.

I'm the youngest of 3, my elder siblings are 10 and 8 years older than me. I have always been something if the family rebel, moved away when I was in my early 20s, followed an unconventional career path the family couldn't relate to, did pretty well. 

I went to an all-boys school, played rugby, football, volleyball, loved kayaking and running. Played football and volleyball to my late 20s when work got in the way. Ran sporadically in my 20s and 30s and regularly since turning 40.

I knew from 14 that I needed to wear feminine clothes sometimes, didn't know why, never told anyone, had no inkling that others did, I thought it was just me until I saw an advert in a paper for a shop in London.

Dated my first girlfriend at 16, after her had several relationships which much older partners, never told anyone about Anna.

Met my wife when I was 25, married at 27. Purged my feminine stuff the day before my wedding. Bought a couple of items again in my 40s.

Had the "talk" with my wife about 18 months ago and se has supported me brining Anna out of a very long hibernation.

Anna xx

Thank you for the forum post Penelope.  I am going against what seems to be the majority opinion here, but I was and still am outgoing, not the best student, an athlete, and I was very dedicated to the girls that I did date.  I did see a post by Chrissie Smith that related that dating two girls at once was very exhausting and I also did that and found the same result.  I always enjoyed being married, and the company of women.  I also recall breaking a few rules, but I grew up in a small town amd I could never get away with anything.  I believe my town was the reason that the phrase was coined, that it takes a village to raise children.

So, there’s my addition, but it doesn’t fit with the majority here.

Relatively quiet but with a mischievous nature. Okay at school in the creative and non math/science areas. Got on with girls better than the boys as was no macho type. Last to get picked for teams although could run well.

Rubbish at relationships as I was 'Too nice', a rebuff of a great magnitude. Managed a few though but never went anywhere as there was something in my mind niggling away.

Have had  good careers which suited my abilities, excelled in a sport, managed well on my own and created space to become myself with family and friends blessings.

I may not have done as much as others but at least there is something to show from my nature and abilities.

Busy thread!

I was lazy at school. I just wanted to play football (UK-style) and hang around with my friends. I left school with no qualifications at all, but got a Certificate in Mathematics with the Open University in my forties. Fortunately, the Royal Air Force were taking on apprentices in 1970 without the need for academic qualifications, but made up for that by a two-day residential interview that included a medical and psychometric and IQ tests (apparently mine was 128 at the time!).

My mother asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up and I told her first that I wanted to be a lorry driver; she was not happy with that. I said I wanted to be an electronics engineer; she was happier with that. I also said I wanted to play in a band, again, not so happy.

Well, in addition to a few other things I wanted to do (that we won't go into), I did them all. I also retired early aged 62 and have lived the life of Riley ever since. Only a health problem mars an otherwise idyllic, cross-dressing retirement, and I'm getting that sorted in the next couple of months hopefully.

A potted early history of a quite interesting life (in my opinion); perhaps I'll write a book.

Becca

I was the quiet introverted one growing up, I'm still that way now, i wasn't intimate with anyone until i was 18 , I'm still well and truly stuck in the closet to my wife and family, the only people who know what i am are the girls on here, it's a lonely life being a closet crossdresser, even at school i was the quiet one at the back of the classroom. 

Hugs Roz X 

Count me in as an introvert until my senior year of high school, when I broke out of my shell. I excelled in math and physics and was at the top of my graduating class. I also lettered in sports all four years. In my early teens, I suffered from gender confusion because of my need to cross-dress, so I dated a couple of boys and, after age sixteen, figured it out and dated strictly girls. Once I started dating girls, I was "cured" and stopped cross-dressing for several years until I fell off the wagon in 1975 because of a brief addiction to pantyhose. I was also one of those who dated two girls simultaneously, including one woman who was 36 while I was nineteen. 

Like many of you at CDH, we've lived full, exciting lives, and I think a rather significant factor is dressing en femme. Much of my motivation sprung from my femme side. Lisa has been a large part of my success, and without her, I wouldn't be the person I am today.  

Lisa Ann

As a child, I was innocently very effeminate.  I was happy playing Barbie’s with the neighbor girls than ball with their brothers.  I looked at boys pretty much like any young little girl would.  Something different than me.  Although, I didn’t start dressing until much later in life, I feel I had more feminine qualities than masculine as I look back.  Upon adolescence, I quickly determined that I had to act masculine as a matter of self preservation.  So, for all intents and purposes, masculinity, at least for me, was a learned behavior.  Watching what the boys did and trying to mimic it.  The first female clothing I purchased, I thought was satisfying a fetish.  But when I put those clothes on, I quickly realized that these feelings ran much deeper and my childhood memories of my natural feminine behavior came rushing back.  At the risk of sounding corny, it was almost magical how something as simple as women’s clothing made me feel.  I do feel that I belong in the transgender spectrum of femininity and am dealing with these feelings as best as I can.  

Like many others here on this thread, I was introverted. Perhaps a bit shy as well. It's hard to tell the two apart. When I was 6, my best friend moved away (the neighborhood was changing), and when we moved a year later, we were in a large complex of high-rise apartment buildings. With a lot of people there already, I just didn't fit in with most of the kids.

I was not good at sports. Having my first asthma attack at age 7, before the days of albuterol to control it, I never had a lot of endurance. But I was always a good student, near the top of my class. I graduated college at age 21 with a Masters degree. I was always interested in mathematics and computer sciences. I have used that for my entire career, now quickly approaching retirement.

I was sharing a room with two younger brothers, and also had an older sister. That meant I didn't get a lot of privacy growing up. So much of what I had to do was to make a narrow skirt by wrapping the covers tightly over my legs. It wasn't until my teen years that I might be able to stay at home alone unsupervised.

Not much into dating, I met my wife (now ex) in High School. I got married at 22 and was married for 40 years, although we were more like housemates for years before (I picked up and moved out of our bedroom), then separated for a few years before we finally got divorced. I'm now living with two of my adult children, and dressing often, both in the house and for walks outside.

Reasonable student, but my last year at high school was a mess. So I then spent six years of night school until I found my (marketing) calling!

I dated girls from my mid teens and got married in my mid 20's. Worked hard and eventually was part of a very successful, family owned operated business. Divorced and retired by my mid 50's

Had a couple of great mates from school days, but sadly once passed sometime back. I have always related well to females and have had several close "brother and sister" relationships.

Now in my late 70's with a wonderful loving SO, and enjoying my "declining years" the best way I can A couple of minor non fatal health probs have led to  very little "proper Caty time", but hey, I'm still upright and breathing, so all is as well as it can be.

Caty

I was the quiet, intorverted, model student and citizen. I was the one who never felt comfortable asking a girl out, especially the girl I liked. Too shy to take those dancing lessons I dearly wish I had taken. Always the friend and study partner, but not the prom date. Considered good looking, but never felt that way. 

Totally the opposite when I dressed up then. I wanted to be on the stage in the play, dancing the night away as the Prom Queen. I wanted to be the heart breaker, not the heart broken.