What ends up cutting out your crossdressing?

[JenniferYager]

I keep finding that when I work normal hours (9 hours a day during the week) and can spend time with the family, I'm OK crossdressing on a weekend here or there. Lately work has totally gone bonkers and I'm working sun-up to sun-down, and crossdressing was one of the first things to go. As I was walking to my car today I saw a well dressed woman and realized I missed it, but for me, I prioritize work and family time over crossdressing.

How does your prioritization work? What happens that forces you to drop crossdressing for a time?

[Annajose]

For me is Family first, work second, then all the rest

[Kate Simmons]

Normally if I have a choice to spend time with my GF or go to the club dancing en femme, my GF wins out. Sometimes we go to the club together with me en femme.

[AnnaMarie]

Without question my family come first - they don't know about it and would wreck everything if they did. Work (I'm self employed) comes second and everything else after

[Karren H]

Hockey and family are number 1 and 2. The order changes depending on if I have a hockey game or my family is pissing me off! Lol. Work and dressing are tied for 3 and 4. Everyone at work knows I hit my numbers years ago so I'm leaving there in 16 months. Or 16 minutes! Given the chance I will go dress bs go to work any day of the week. Except when i dress on business trips then in doing both. And the company is paying for it!

[Krisi]

Obviously, if you work, that comes first. You have to work to support your family and you have to work to support your crossdressing.

We all (I hope) have lives outside of crossdressing and we have to prioritize our time. I will be visiting in-laws for ten days soon, Homer will go, Krisi will stay home. That's life.

[Teresa]

Jennifer,
I guess I was very lucky being a photographer for thirty years covering weddings, I was never away from beautiful gowns and outfits and being allowed to handle them as part of my job. Secondly for possibly most of that time I would spend hours in the darkroom processing and printing my work, I had to work in total darkness so my wife and family knew there was no entry , so the door was locked for safety reasons . I kept all my CDing things in the darkroom so I could dress for hours , I would get the occasional knock at the door to offer me a coffee .
The spin off was the busier I was the more time I spent in the darkroom !

[docrobbysherry]

Ummmm, death?

[heatherdress]

Family, work and other commitments diminish crossdressing, as others have pointed out.

If I don't dress, I feel a loss. A part of me is simply missing. I feel sad, more stressed, disappointed.

If my opportunities to dress diminish, I try to counteract the loss by dressing as best I can - "Heather lite". I try to address it as a challenge and get excited about what I still can wear. Underwear or jewelry. Pajamas or nighties. Even slipping on a pair of heels for a few minutes brings pleasure and joy.

[Majella St Gerard]

The only thing that stops me is having to go to work, other than that I dress girly 99% of the time when I am home. I paint my nails as soon as I get home when I have off for a couple of days.

[Eryn]

Family and providing for them come first. That said, I've always found ways to express a bit of her regardless of how busy I am. That is probably why I am as far along the spectrum as I am.

[Cassandra*]

Like most of us stated,career and family acceptance.

[RADER]

Now being retired; I can dress more than when I was working. I under dress
almost all the time, with women jeans, (Sorry Karren) anytime I leave the house.
Being retired is starting to be fun.
Rader

[Beverley Sims]

Work commitments does put a damper on things but I find that taking holidays gives me all the freedom I need.

Yep, I get lots of time off.

[Jacky Aikou]

Work and helping my wife with our overlords (4 and 2 yr old daughters) is about all I have time for lately.
Kids take all your energy, time, and money - definitely not conducive to cross-dressing!

Still, femme thoughts persist and after bed-time I muster up the energy to dress or play with makeup occasionally.

If anyone on the forum has more than 2 kids, you have my respect and pity.

[Angie G]

My Grandson is staying with us for now and when he's here I can't dress. Fotunately he likes being with his friends more then here.
Angie

[Jamie390]

Wife and kids. When I finally came out to my wife, it took time for her to accept it. We tried laying in bed, after the kids were asleep, watching tv with me wearing a bathing suit; but i could tell that she was not comfortable with it. Then we rented a cabin for a weekend and I tried CDing; but again, she was uncomfortable so I stopped pushing it. So I am limited to when she and the kids are not home, alone in the shower, or... well that's pretty much it.

[Robin414]

For me it's work, hands down! I find 'cross behaving' is a suitable substitute though (but hey I might be TG though, YMMV) ☺

[suchacutie]

Family and work have to come first, but then Tina needs some time after that!

[LydiaG]

Family, Friends, Work and then I balance the remaining time to not make it an all the time thing for the girlfriend. She likes me dressed but she also likes me in male mode so i try my best to balance those.

[Dana L]

When my kids(they are adults) other family or friends are around dressing is out and of course not at work. I'm always underdressed so it's never completely gone. I always sleep enfemm. My wife and I prefer me to sleep that way. My feeling is "you are who you go to bed as and wake up as.".

[raeleen]

I've definitely found that in general when I get really busy the urges seem to die down. My mind is just on other things and I don't end up dwelling as much on dressing. That being said, high stress can also bring on some serious desires to get pretty. I think as with most things in life it just ebbs and flows.

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o Jennifer,
Basically... Life!
Life gets in the way. CDIng is a small part of it for me.
There are a million things that can take up any time that could have possibly
been allotted to dressing.
Currently it's keeping an eye on my dog that had some major abdominal surgery.
It's been 3 weeks since my last outing, and her recovery will take a other 2 weeks, and then
were looking at the holidays, with family visits. I may need a quick getaway day!( packing a "rescue me" bag now!)
Much Love,
Kristyn

[Stephanie47]

My wife is a teacher which kills the summer around here. From mid June to the first Wednesday after Labor Day is my dry spell. I have a lot of summery dresses that will work well with the warm weather that I also wear in our warm house during the winter.

[Lily Catherine]

For now, my main interest would be in my studies (in a few months' time) and my other hobbies. I haven't cross-dressed for quite some time due to personal reasons + inconvenience of so doing. Even to get a natural look needs quite a bit of make-up on my part.

In the best interests of my family I will never cross-dress in their presence. Likewise for those who know Male!me but not Lilian. As much as I've always had a consistent desire to be dressed (the most visible means in which I exist as her), to me being able to be cross-dressed is a privilege more than anything, not an expectation.

Doesn't change the fact that I can scroll through Instagram and think to myself "@#?!, I wish I were as pretty as (this GG), and could dress as beautifully as her!!!" I accept that as inevitable.

Granted I still wear women's jeans quite often, but only I (and anyone else who bothers to ask) need to know. Nothing truly visible, and it doesn't stay on my mind. It's the least of my worries.