After not having been online much the past month or so, I thought a lot about why I had stopped dressing. I simply had no desire; I stopped manicuring my hands, shaving my face, legs, etc. Why I did it, I don't think matters much (I attribute it to just having been so busy) as much as it matters that once I started again I've been doing it more. I don't go more than a day without shaving my face, constantly plucking the little chest hair I have to keep it smooth (luckily I don't have much arm hair), and I waxed my legs and underarms, and thinned my eyebrows a bit. I guess although it wasn't my intention to purposely stop dressing, I realize I can't stop for long.
In the past two months, I've gotten closer to my mother as we opened up for conversations we never had before (e.g. why did as my father pleased, why her second marriage didn't work, why her children distanced themselves from her, why I can't maintain a relationship for long etc). And, she saw my nails were painted a bright red, which she complimented and said a lot of women would kill to have nails like mine. At this point, I don't care what anyone says about my nails. In fact, for two weeks I sported a French tip manicure for which I received nothing but compliments, even from a few men. But the fact that my mother seemed to like it (my mother is mostly conservative) made my day.
When I gave myself a French tip pedicure, I texted her a picture of my feet. She said they looked lovely and asked if I had done them myself, to which I replied yes. Then came a question I totally had forgotten to address: she asked me if I had shaved my feet (she knows I have hairy feet). Well, I couldn't lie, so I told her the truth: I waxed them. Her response: "Good, otherwise the pedicure doesn't look good!" But I wish I had told her more, something like "in fact, I waxed my entire legs because otherwise mini skirts don't look good." Perhaps I would have in person.
I can't say if my mother ever noticed I would touch her things, even though I always made sure I put things back the way they were (because I do notice when people touch my things), so I don't know if she knows or suspects I like wearing women's clothes. But, given that I doubt she's read up on crossdressers, she probably thinks I'm gay as most people think crossdressers are. I guess more likely she thinks I'm gay rather than a crossdresser, but how should I know without asking her? There's been plenty of posts where members remark how we underestimate our fellow GG's and think they're completely unaware when they've had their suspicion for years. I really hope this is the case with my mother so it doesn't come to a complete surprise. I doubt she will disown me for liking to dress like a woman, but if she's clueless, I'd hate for her to believe things are really different than what she imagines (then again, I'm her only son who's meticulous about his appearance and you know what that makes people think, and I'm not sure she's noticed my thinner eyebrows).
I remember reading from one of our members how she came out to her mother, simply by showing her a picture of her dressed. I'm thinking about going the same route. What do you all think? What are things I will need to consider and/or account for when a close family member knows?
As always, responses are much appreciated.