I see in this generation that parents are trying to be friends with their children instead of being a parent.Im a grandmother raising my grandsons.This is off the subject of this but my grandson said he identified as being non-binary.I said Son God made a male and a female and if you forgot which one you are then all you need to do is go in the bathroom and look down your pants.And yes we homeschool but they still are around kids their age so it still happens no matter what you try to keep from them.Furries we discussed this past week and my take is if you wanna be that then you will be treated as one. I think we nipped that in the bud. I try to teach my boys about the Word of God but most teens are not interested. They just want to fit in. Pray for your children and this crazy generation!!
Don’t “shut it down” 
let her embrace it. I’ve known people at 9 years old that knew they were gay, lesbian,bi, a furry and whatever other life choice they chose.
Be supportive
many kids don’t actually understand the concept of a furry. They believe it’s just people who like to dress up as animals. We have the same issue with my 12 year old. He was watching videos on how to tell your parents you’re a furry and so you’re a furry. These videos are targeting kids. We sat him down and told him it’s not what he think it is and kind of gave an explanation and he had no idea. Having her talk to someone wouldn’t be a bad idea. I would also place some parental controls on what she uses to access the internet.
My answer to that would have been, okay but we are not having any more pets in the house so your going to have to sleep outside and eat out of a dogs dish. Not sure you are going to like that kind of food
isn’t a furry someone that dresses in a costume that’s a furry animal?
She just wants to dress like an animal. She’s 8. I feel like y’all are the ones who make things weird. Nobody thinks they’re an animal. She’s 8. Lord almighty. People are trippingggg. You probably: “let kids be kids.” Also you:
Tell her to never shave or get any haircuts
Give her, her food and water in a bowl on the floor, no longer at table. Make her sleep on the floor, go to the bathroom outside or litter pan. If you have a barn they can live there now, no showers anymore. See how long she wants to act like a fricken animal. JS!!! Teachers are teaching these kids this shit!!! 
I have no idea what a furry is?? 
I could see supporting her if she said she liked girls, but this…this isn’t normal. I absolutely would not be ok with nor support it. You’re the parent. The only way she could do it is if you or dad bought her stuff similar to it and let her act like it. I would honestly look in to therapy though
It’s what the school is teaching her. It has nothing to do with the divorce.
Wtf is a furry? A creature?
Be a parent and tell your kid(s) that they are a person…not an animal! It’s time parents stand up and stop letting society raise your kids. Get some backbone and do your job…Be a parent and teach your kids right from wrong!
I would just let her be a furry. Get it out of her system. What’s the big deal?
First where she get it? The 13 year old or the younger one?
No, stop this shit. We are humans not pets, not foods. Don’t encourage it.
My 11 year old calls herself a therian too. I don’t pay attention to it. It’s a phase.
Lots of kids go through similar stage. When I was a kid I was a robot not human lmao. I think you’re thinking to much into it
All children have imagination… tell her that’s she’s human girl but can pretend ( at certain times)
I say deny any access to social media. No child needs to be exposed too social media
First of all she’s nine.
Where is she getting all this from? Has she been exposed to this or how did she find out about this? Kids are being exposed to things they should know nothing about. I mean for Christ sake she didn’t just come up with this off the top of her head.
Bring better things in her life, better examples to live by. Her life has been turned upside down and she isn’t happy and is looking for a way to escape.
Don’t try and force her to give up on this idea and make her seem like she’s done nothing wrong. That will only tear her down more like she’s a disappointment. Your whole family needs to come together and find ways of bonding and making them feel secure.
She needs to feel loved and safe.
Her dad lives somewhere else.
Her sister and her are always fighting, you need to find out the issue and help stop that.
Your attention is not only on her and your other daughter but on your boyfriend who is kinda a stranger to her and now there’s an infant she has to share the one parent she has in her daily life.
Humans are not appealing to her. Fix that
Do. Not. Entertain. This.
Unfortunately this is “normal” now. Not sure how or why it came about but I think alot of it has to do with attention and fitting it. Maybe limit screen time and content, friends. I try to understand this generation but have a hard time comprehending why alot are not comfortable with who they are. We all went through that uncomfortable puberty faze, but it seems much more dramatic now. Good luck. Hopefully once her hormones level out she will be more comfortable being herself.
Years ago I would have said she is just having a cute imagination and play along. Nowadays unfortunately all of these things are considered legitimate identities and lifestyles and when people start validating her in these things I can go down a really detrimental path. I would explain to her the difference between being a furry and having a fun imagination and pretending. I have a daughter that pretend to be a cheetah around the house for a year. I bought her cheetah print clothes and cute little ears and let her climb on the furniture. I let her growl and snarl at me but then an hour later she would be a princess. And by the time I put her to bed she was a human girl. Tell her that if she wants to use her imagination and have fun that you will support her but if she starts getting confused and saying that’s who she is as a person then that is a problem. Dismissing it 100% all together could lead her to discuss this with other adults who may actually start affirming that she is a furry or whatever the heck she thinks she is and actually could probably groom her into being other things. It can lead her into trying to hide things from you because she feels like you will reject them. Anything that’s a hobby and an interest is fine. Anything that’s an identity becomes a problem. She’s still a human child she has to behave like a human at school. She has to visit a human doctor and eat human food. Make sure that you show her lots of support and love and tell her thank you for coming to you with this. Tell her that she may not like your answer 100%, but that you are doing what’s best for her and you are willing to listen talk and negotiate. Make sure that you pay close attention to her access of the internet on any devices. Being a furry is a sexual thing for a lot of people and if she starts researching it she can get very traumatized and very confused very fast. Most likely if you handle it right it will be a little phase and then you’ll be traumatized by the next phase and someone and so on until she finds
Her way in the world and grows into herself.
Put her in counseling and severely limit her internet and gaming time. She’s getting influenced A LOT by tik tok and gaming.
Well yea, she’s SUPPOSED to be in 4th grade! 
also, absolutely not.
Middle child looking for attention.
Our girl is 8…last year she went through a phase if wanting to be an avatar…she loved the movie…she ran around the house for a few weeks with a blue tail she made in our studio (dad is an artist so we have all art supplies at her finger tips) and a now an arrow thing she also made…her 19yr old autistic brother was super worried she would get called weird…some thing he went through school because of his autism…he didn’t want it to happen to her…it took me longer to explain it to him that is was a phase then the phase lasted with her…
Sometimes us adults really do over think things…we stress for our kids and their well being…that’s normal…and kids exploring is also normal but this new age of parenting has taught us to over think everything…parenting our 30yr old was much easier than our 8ur old…ps…our 8yr old and our 13yr old hate each other at moment…that is also normal…but something happens to either 1 of these 2 and they are the 1st one their for each other…Xxxx
Kez…
Color me stupid! I have no idea what the terms mean? What is that? Furry? Therian?
My niece goes to a High School where the kids bark and meow at each other. WTF is happening in this world?!!!
Why would anyone allow young children to act like they are an animal? And don’t assume it is a phase. You have kids crawling around in your high schools and meowing at people. And people wonder why things are so different now? Because now parents allow children to do whatever they want. You are parents you are suppose to teach them right from wrong.
Some of you parents really make me concerned for your children. Furries are not a lifestyle choice when your 8 it’s a large part of the Comic Con & Cosplay Communities. It’s a form of self expression and it’s lot of hard work for these people and kids coming up with their costumes and their personas. Stop sexualizing everything!! Just because there is a small genre of it that you may see in p0rn doesn’t mean that’s what it all is. Stay away from fake news about litter boxes and being an animal 24/7. 1 news story comes out and some strange people post things for likes on TikTok and your favorite fake news stations run with it.
To OP: actually sit down and TALk to your child. Find out what being a Furry means to her. Is she interested because she of the Cosplay aspect? Did see some of the really cool TikToks of creators building and putting things together? Have an actual conversation with your child before coming to the internet so that the echo chamber of parents who clearly don’t want to learn anything about their children’s interests tell you it’s wrong.
She’s 8… you’re the parent… this shouldn’t even be a discussion more than once. parents are way to worried about being their childrens friend first. 
Nope, just shut it down. She was not born an animal, don’t encourage it. We have enough oddballs and cry-babies in the world who think that we need to cater to their every whim, because if we don’t, then we’re labeled as prejudiced and unwilling to accept difference. There is nothing wrong with an individual being expressive, but when they start getting into this weird crap, it honestly makes me believe that they are just plain sick and need serious mental intervention.
No, I could really care less about hurting people’s feelings. I’m not here to coddle anyone . If you don’t like my opinion, feel free to scroll on.
Parents can still be supportive about their kids’ feelings without allowing them to engage in nonsense like this.
The schools in Pa are putting litter boxes in the school bathrooms. Has everyone lost their damn mind ??
WhT is a Furry never heard of it
It’s got nothing to do with y’all’s divorce. It’s because kids nowadays are exposed to the dumbest crap ever. There’s schools that actually allow litter boxes etc because their students think they’re animals n not human.
My son said there’s kids in his school who actually bark and meow.
It started on tiktok then kids saw it or parents saw it then introduced their kids to it and now it’s this huge thing amongst children and it’s ridiculous imo.
Furries use to be only amongst adults who had/have weird fetishes with anime/animals/cartoons. I’m just glad my son isn’t into any of these type of things.
Personally if my son came and told me he wants to be a furry I would put the quickest stop to it. I’m not having no child of mine thinking it’s cool to be dressed up as a furry and act like a furry etc.
the reason why is because it’s not for children. Adults made it up way way way back and it wasn’t just for dress up neither it was sexually motivated way back when it was made up. Once other adults started to hear about it and being interested in it is when it became big back in the 1980s to the point there was convections for furries to meet up.
Sounds like your daughter has an outside person that’s giving her strange ideas and beliefs !! 100 percent school relative someone
Take her to a therapist. Keep open dialog. This crap is not normal that they keep showing online. I swear YouTube needs to go away or filtered much better. I would not entertain it at all.
Are you willing to go to school and change the litter box. Because this is what happens. The custodians do not do that. High school age. In ohio. If you let your kids tell you what they want to be at a young age, it will never end. All through teenage years. Stop it now. You are the adult. What would your parents of done.
This is what is wrong with our world…letting your kids think they can identify as an animal or a fucking arm chair🙄….are we parents anymore or just straight up friends to our kids letting them do whatever so you don’t have to actually deal with the problem? It’s pathetic.
Watching too much BS on phone and TV.
be the parent and tell her hell to the freaking no.
I think you need to be checking into what your small child has been exposed to…. There’s more to furrydom than just cute fur suits and fursonas. Therapy bc either this is a coping mechanism or someone’s possibly shown her things.I don’t know one furry in real life that there isn’t a sexual component to it which is why you need to find where this is coming from.
Please stop entertaining this nonsense! She can be happy in other ways than identifying as an animal. Continue to shut it down.
u take all electronics away. how tf does a 8yr old know what a furry is 
shut youtube down. ig tik tok EVERRRRYYYTHING. add therapy in that asap . you are the parent what u say goes
What the hell is a furry???
How does she even know about this stuff? Clearly it’s not just the costume she wants to wear because she knows far too much about it for a 9yo. Who exposed her, where did she see it, who does she discuss it with, is there peer pressure, even online??? Because I’d be shutting that sh1t down real quick. Ain’t nobody got time for that and put age appropriate blocks on all your kids devices.
I think it depends on what she considers a “furry”
In my state children are trying to get litter boxes and such in schools 
Soo personally if it goes that far I’d bring in a litter box and some cat food and call it a day, it won’t last long
If she just wants to dress up,
No big deal
I would look at what you’re allowing a 9 yr to see and hear. I didn’t even know what a therian was and had to look it up. Don’t care how “smart” a child is. She’s a child…mine was reading at a 6th grade level by 1st grade and has been advanced and in gifted programs her whole life and didn’t have access to social media until she was 15.
Why is this even a thing 
tf. Kids are weirder these days 
She’s smart and bored so is trying to fit in somewhere
Ntb an asshole but i would extremely monitor her Internet usage bc a lot of furries are semi bookish adult nonces
A lot of you are… weird. A Furry to an 8 year old is just putting on cat ears and a clip on tail. 
It’s called imagination to them. Hell, it was the thing to most teens in the early 2000s. Ffs. A Furry as an adult is different, full body suits and having sex as that. I highly doubt a 8 year old is thinking that way.
Don’t let her act like a furry. Just talk to her. But i get your concern. By no means would i allow my child to live like a furry. GTFOH. This is why we have kids at young ages saying their opposite sex. No you are not!! Boys have penises & girls have vaginas! End of story.
Therians and Furries are not the same thing. Get your daughter into therapy so she can explore this side of herself in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Here’s a link explaining the main characteristics of a Therian: What is a Therian? Meaning, Misconceptions, & More.
Sounds like mental illness. I would seek guidance through counseling.
Being a furry doesn’t mean “they think they’re an animal” that’s one of the biggest misconceptions there is. First thing I would do is talk to your daughter and be open to listening to everything she has to say. My 13 yo is a fury and it’s not pissing in litterboxes at school type of things. Talk to your kid. Research what a fury really is??? It’s nothing more than a bunch of comic cons fans getting together and doing cosplay. That’s it. Thats what being a fury is unless to listen to the grapevine type news that goes around and gets spread like wildfire.
You need to figure out where TF she’s reading this mess and shut it down.
Just tell her no you are the parent screw what anyone else thinks. When she’s an adult she can be a fucking furry if she still wants to. It’s extrmely sexualized now a days and I would not let my kids partake in it. Curious or not. Rebelling or not. Kids need to be given RULES. you are the adult and not the best friend. All the ones saying let your kid do whatever they want are the reason there are so many mentally ill confused entitled cry baby children out there that grow into even worse adults. Stop being scared of being “the bad guy” raise your kids to know and understand biology/science and nature as it actually is and not some imaginary bullshit that they get convinced is real and coddled into adulthood to continue being a bunch of brain washed weird ass adults that don’t work or contribute to society in any way because they are too busy making tiktoks of them in giant retarded cartoon animal costumes for attention and crying they arent being taken seriously. Idc who this comment makes mad it’s a fact and everyone’s too scared to say it but this craps gone on long enough. You are ruining the future of this planet and I don’t give two fucks if you are triggered. An 8 year old doesn’t need to be experimenting as identifying as a fucking animal human thing called a furry. They are fucking 8. They shouldn’t be even considering any of that shit or being exposed to it either. Get your kids off phones off the internet off the TV and start being a present normal that isn’t afraid to parent parent for God’s sake. Or better yet just stop reproducing and go get therapy you fucking whack a doodles.
To all the people saying therapy and absolutely not. Why is that your go to? Y’all are basing what you know about furries off of youtube and tiktok?? Then you really dk anything about it and should educate yourself on it! Its not all about sexualization as I’ve seen y’all claim.
I was under the impression it was a sort of sexual fantasy thing. For adults obviously. I don’t understand why the schools are allowing it…aren’t there dress codes nowadays? A friend of mine got a call from the school because her daughter told a girl in her class it was stupid. Girl identifies as a cat. When they called my friend she asked why her daughter had to apologize and they said ‘Because we don’t allow people to hurt other people’s feelings.’ She said ‘But she’s a cat.’ And there lies the problem. You are either a cat or a human. Choose.
Some of yall have lost your minds I can’t understand why anyone would find this ok yes dress-up by all means play have fun but it doesn’t have to be taken so far this world is off the chain anymore and nope I’m not a 20 year old new parent either done raised 2 that are amazing humans and they never once wanted to be anything other than who they were now at 48 with 2 at 12 and 13 at home all I ee is this nonsense I’m with the rest of you normal parents absolutely not happening now if they said mom im gay or im bi I would say ok let’s have a talk and see why you feel this way and I would be supportive but to act as a animal absolutely 
not today Satan not today internet bahahah go ahead throw salt I don’t care
It’s all propaganda. You need to put a stop to that crap rn. She’s 9! Your child does not have the capacity to tell you what they are. Your child is a boy or a girl. And if you allow this, along with all the other parents that allow it. You’re just as bad as them. Why even ask. It’s been in the news that some kid identified as a cat. And later on the school had to put a litter box in the restroom for this girl. It was to accommodate her because her parents made a big deal about it. People aren’t gonna be putting up with this stupid crap for much longer. My advice is straightforward. Don’t allow it!
Being a Mom is to guide our children to be well functional adults for the real world. You guide her to be the wonderful young lady she is and shut that shit down .
Toilets have water but we wouldn’t allow our children to drink from it would we ?
So many of you are taking this way too seriously. She’s a child…
Absolutely not! That is a ignorant image and unnecessary cry out for attention. Look deeper instead of sending them to school to confuse these other kids with these false images they are creating to hide something deeper!
This is just kids copying other kids, it will pass
Homeschool…one word… homeschool
It’s creative imaginative play. The more you suppress it the more she’ll do it.
Tell her she’s human - then introduce her to cosplay ~ this’ll get her creativity going in healthy ways.
As far as the bickering:
I’ve got TEN siblings -
The youngest is now 24, the oldest is 46 - the only one I bickered with was 2 years older than me (so the closest in age). NOW we’re really close (so there’s hope momma!) 
She knows she’s a human. She’s taking to you about something she’s interested in, that’s not rebelling. She’s looking for something that makes her feel like she can be anyone/anything. Ask her questions instead of shutting her down.
You need to sit down with her and discuss it more. Ask her why and to what extent she wants to be one? Does she want to just dress up like one partially or what. You want her to feel comfortable communicating with you. You also need to check with her school because it is not allowed in some schools for children to dress as furries.
She may have some friends who are into this also. You need to communicate and let her know she can openly talk to you. There are too many children who are afraid to talk to their parents. Good luck!
When I was 8 my friends and I were all horses for a week or so, but back in the 80s we just called that being a kid and using your imagination. 
Just let the kid play.
My granddaughter was being a cat and a dog . Got down on the floor as we were leaving a restaurant and barked all the way to the door . She is 3 . Daily she is different characters .
Your daughter is just growing up and fantasy imagination all are signs of intelligence. Some nights she is gramma and I’m Raelynn . She pretend puts me in a car than fastens my seatbelt. Drives off and crashes . I play right along with her and follow her lead .
To her it’s probably just a thing of dressing up as a cute animal, she’s only 8 I doubt she knows what it actually is
My niece loves the furry stuff she makes masks collects tales she wants to be a wolf. She made a deal with her mom who is super supportive and they purchased a foam wolf head that she can make her own. She’s insanely talented and loves it. Now furrys get a bad wrap because it’s not all the $ex stuff it’s also just dressing up which there’s more to it but I’m not a furry. She enjoys the dress up but girl gets straight A’s listens and minds her manners so I don’t see the harm. P.s. alot of people dress up and no one cares so why not an animal for fun.
She’s being a typical kid, let her. You’ve only just begun, hold on!
Schools allow it here in Arkansas. Kids wear ears and tails. They bark and meow at teachers rather than use word. Kids put other kids on leashes and walk them down the hallway by collars. They are even considering litter boxes for the so called “furries” because it has come to a point where kids are using the bathroom on the school bathroom floors rather than the toilets. Its plain Outrageous and these children need help to think that’s ok. Parents who encourage this are ridiculous. It’s not all fun and games nor is it just costumes. This is a lifestyle you are teaching children. This “let them be themselves” is the issue. Kids can have imaginations, dress up, be goofy, and have fun with boundaries. Boundaries are healthy. Kids can be kids without being something they are not. Let them play, let them have fun, let them imagine but also teach them it’s for play time fun and not for daily life outside of that fun time. Schools shouldn’t be allowing this type of behavior. These are not elementary schools I’m talking about either. It’s high schools. We have got to do better for our children.
My daughter is almost 10 and she has mentioned this too. I don’t really think she knows what it means, other than she wants to dress up as a cat. We got her a furry cat tail that she can hook to her belt loops and she has kitty ear headbands. Maybe it’s something as innocent as that?
My 16 yo son Just went to the FURRY CONVENTION IN COLORADO…HE WENT WITH HIS GRANDMA…
Me a furry mom reading all these misled interpretations of what a furry is lol
I went through this at the same age. And gosh! That was 50 years ago! 
My daughter went through the same phase. When I was a kid, my mom’s family told her to make me eat with the dog and I could be one. Lol when my girls were little and went through the same phase I tried that. Didn’t work. One comment to here says, allow it, but only at home. No social media no pictures posting anywhere until she’s not allowed to do it at school. Because Bully’s. It’s just a phase mama it’ll fade they all do.
My daughter went through a “animal ears” headband wearing stage. Didn’t last long lol.
My sister went through a similar phase at the same age. She made her own costume too, she was foxy from five nights at Freddy’s. Lean into it, help her create a costume, she’s just a kid and it doesn’t have the same meaning to them.
Let her navigate her feelings as for the moment maybe entertain her and sh will grow out of it? Go all in and get her a litter box and see ifs she’s still supporting her cause then. Js
Whatever fits her boat I guess 
I am doing some teaching and we have god knows how many different genders and names for it , and don’t you dare to guess it wrong otherwise you are discriminating
Can’t keep up anymore 
.
Tell her okay ,
Your food and water bowl are on the kitchen floor , tell her to have dump 
outside on the grass and to lick herself clean after that 
Also not allowed to sleep on the bed . Carpet will do …
Simple did you give birth to a furry?
I would be very hesitant to permit this from going g on.There are many forces out there ,in the school system behind the transgender agenda encouraging young children to change their gender without the parents knowledge.This could be a backdoor way to getting into their mind .What used to be " just a phase" is being used by nefarious grown adults with an agenda.
All the moms saying it’s just a “stage”. I sure hope you are right, because I see grown adults still wearing tails, ears, collars, you name it. Grown adults who like to be “walked” like a dog on a leash and collar. It’s confusing to a child to see other children doing it and then their parents telling them its “OK” and “normal”. It sounds like these children are crying out for attention.
It’s not because of your divorce. It seems every child goes through it. Tell her only at home right now, to see how it feels to her.
My daughter is 15 now she started making and wearing the costume at 12. I don’t think for kids it’s what the adults think. It’s a way to fit in. They put their costumes on hang out for a bit and feel confident in a way they can’t just being out of costume. Why are you perceived view tainting your child’s view . I took my daughter to festival where many children and adults were dressed in their caricatures they just mingled around happy no funny shit nothing weird happened. The younger people ware a badge saying they underage so as the many crew at the event can keep everyone safe. And I don’t like but I will going again for my daughter. Because it’s not about me .
I wouldn’t even entertain the thought!!! There is a very clear line between letting your children be who they are and letting your child go around in the world pretending to be a flippin animal!!!
How does an 8 year old even know what a furry is? Get her in therapy. She can play pretend and use her imagination but there is a line.
Just don’t let her eat off the floor or use a litter box. Well…maybe make her eat off the floor and go outside to use the bathroom. No animals on the furniture or beds. Animals sleep on the floor. I imagine the fascination would wear off quickly. Smh.
She’s 8. Please just let her be a kid
My daughter is the same and I tried stopping it because of bullying but she said I didn’t accept her.
It’s a phase. Get her into therapy to help address her feelings, etc.
Innocent children believe becoming a “Furry” means dressing up as an animal and pretending to be one.
In adolescence and adulthood in means taking on the Identity as an animal and engaging in sexual mating while in Character as a “Furry”!!! Big difference between that and children pretending to be animals.
Stop letting children refer to dressing up in animal costumes as a “Furry”!!!
What is she watching that a 9 year old even knows about this stuff. Reinforce she is human, she is a girl. Don’t tolerate any of that crap. She will get over it.
As it should be shut down. Be realistic we are humans we are not animals. This can cause others around her to become confused when she is an adult she can act as she wants.