Jamie Johnson learns how to cope.
 
    Johnson desperately needed to regain a feeling of peace, or at least hope, in her life. When she decided to become a parent, she thought her kids would be like her - a bit quirky maybe - but "regular", "normal" type people. Like so many teens, she knew her kids might face depression at some point, but the idea that that depression might develop into a devastating mental illness, an illness that included multiple personalities... well, that wasn't part of her life plan. And the notion that one of her children might think they were trapped in the wrong gender and want to become a transsexual... that was even beyond her idea of conceivable. She knew transgenders existed, but she didn't even really understand what the terms "female-to-male" and "male-to-female" meant. Feelings of guilt, frustration, even panic began to dig themselves into Johnson's soul. She was certain her family was headed toward a future full of prejudice and judgment.
     As a mom facing two unthinkable parenting challenges, how do you keep from having a nervous breakdown? How do you get rid of that nagging empty feeling in the pit of your stomach, the feeling that you are utterly and totally alone? Secret Selves is the surprising, touching and sometimes humorous account of a mother trying to ease the panic and accept the terrifying twists fate has dropped in her lap. Jamie Johnson shares how even her doubts and mistakes while raising her two very interesting children helped her to eventually see life through different eyes.