Scrapping after life changes *long*

I would still scrap them. Lauren was your child just as much as Liam is now. They both have a place in your heart and in your books.

No advice other really other than to ask if you have asked Liam how he would like you to proceed with your scrapbooks.

I would do this, too.

He might see those pictures as what have shaped him to be the person he is now. Or perhaps he doesn't care for them but understands that they are important to you. Maybe you need to explain to him about what they mean to you.

In any case, I think you should definitely scrap them because they are important to you and help you celebrate both his past and his present. Props to you for being such an understanding mom.

I agree with this. Liam may not be ready to see these pages yet, but in time I think it would be a comfort to know you love him no matter what. 

You have a lot of good advice here. Liam is very lucky to have you!

I don't have any advice, but I think what other people have said here is really lovely.  I hope you can find something that feels right to both you and your son.

This is new territory for you, Liam and society I am afraid. It's his new normal and while it feels good for him, it might not to you. I would scrap the Lauren photos and love them as much as you love Liam. I mean they are one and the same person. He didn't stop being your baby. Also with time this will get better. It will be second nature for you to love Liam how you loved Lauren and your dreams for Liam will be equal or better than they were for Lauren. It will just take time and fortunately you have time on your side. Society is coming to accept people who aren't cookie cutter perfect. I believe in a few years people will just say, "So" or "And..." and hopefully will stop caring who was born with what sex organs. My hope is by the time Liam is 25 all this will be ancient history.

Sorry about the post. I am very passionate about equal rights for GLBTQ etc. people. I am not one, my son is not one and no one in my family is one, but it's something that I believe in equality about. Just because it doesn't affect me doesn't mean I can't support it.

Eat, scrap and be merry!

I might have a slightly different opinion on this subject which is why I feel compelled to add a reply to this thread.

Identity is a complex and often too quickly brushed aside aspect of the indiviudal life, mind and wellbeing. While we recognise others may struggle with "who they really are", whether that's related to gender identification, gender attraction or any other aspect of their life, we're often clueless to the kind of torment that they go through and how deeply this shakes and affects them. Becoming oneself is one thing, being completely free of the stigma and difficulties that one went through to get to the point of making such a life-changing decision is another thing. The scars of the identity struggle run extremely deep from what I've read on the subject and witnessed with a friend going through something similar.

While I understand the encouragement other scrappers will give you with regards to just using those pictures of Liam from when he was "still" Lauren because they are your memories thus you own some rights over them, I would recommend you use this dilemma as a way to continue connecting with your son. I think he will appreciate you coming to him for council and being open with him, not just asking outsiders because you don't want to bother him with such things or fear hurting his feelings. It doesn't need to be complicated. Just tell him you're itching to scrapbook again, that it's a great moment in your life and that of your children to do so, that you can't imagine not having him in your memory books and that you'd like to know how he feels about it and whether he would prefer that any journaling referring to him back then perhaps already references Liam rather than Lauren. I think the fact that he may look like a girl in the pictures will likely matter a lot less to him than perhaps how to identify him in titles and text accompanying the photographs.

I see your situation as a blessing: you get to deepen your understanding of him, of what he went through and come to happy healthy compromises together with him regarding his past as your daughter. Maybe he will be totally fine with being referred to as Lauren and the pronoun "she" back then or maybe he will actually embrace your scrapbooking ways and be thankful that you can and are willing to establish some form of continuity with his true identity by using the correct pronoun and name.

Talk to him. He will be touched deep down by your desire to do good by him.

Congratulations on being such an accepting and caring mother. And all the best to your brave son!

You're a really good mom and a lovely person. Liam and your two other children are lucky to have you.

I agree with the answer upthread, about asking him how to proceed. At the very least, you have a good jumping-off point and a good way to start a conversation with him.

My advice is the same that people give anyone struggling with how to start. Start with the moments that are the most memorable, enjoyable, "favorites." Especially, if Liam is willing to participate. Favorite vacation, favorite event, the family stories that everyone brings up and laughs about years after they happened that you have pictures for. Perhaps, in addition to Mom's journaling, Liam would be willing to contribute a journaling block of his own (doesn't have to be for every group of pictures, just the most favorite/memorable moments). A way for Lauren and Liam to exist together, although one is in pictures and one is in words. Or even if he doesn't want to write down anything, you could talk to him and start with, "I asked Liam what his memories of this event were and he said..."

I have no personal experience to draw upon, but I would hope that the act of wanting to scrap his photos, while incorporating and reconciling the old and the new life instead of ignoring/hiding/skipping/treating his pictures different than his siblings (in regards to scrapping them or not) would help the two of you work through the awkwardness in a positive way. One where the pronouns and names matter less than the shared memories of those moments and future moments. Because that's the reason we're scrapping in the first place.

Good luck!

Be honest. Tell him you have hundreds of pictures you want to scrapbook of his childhood. That the book is for you. Ask him if he would like to work on a scrapbook of pictures of himself as he went from Lauren to Liam. He might really want to do this.

What I tell everyone that their history is important to me and their stories are important to me. I want to protect and cherish those stories because they are beautiful.

Love your update!