It was mid November and Mum was in the Mental ward of the local hospital suffering from severe depression, she had been expecting and a couple of weeks before the birth had miscarried. She had been over the moon until then as she had been due to have a daughter, a big change for her after having three sons.

My twin brothers Brian and James were two years older than me being 10 and took after Dad in size, interests and looks, Me ? I took after Mum small,with a slight build, blond with blue eyes and no interest in sports unlike my siblings, but Mum and Dad loved us all equally and we loved them and each other just as much. Being small meant I was a target for the bullies but my brothers soon stopped that and I was usually left alone but to make matters worse I was small for age, the next smallest in my age group being about two inches taller than me.

Now it so happened that my birthday just happened to be on Christmas Day and this year I was in for a big surprise but I didn`t know that yet. Dad had just returned from the hospital and had spoken to the doctors about getting Mum home for the holidays but they had said no and between them had come up with an idea to help Mum as drugs and therapy weren`t working, she just lost the will to to live.

We had just arrived home from school and after having our tea went to do our homework, about an hour later Dad called us all down to the lounge and boy were we surprised when we say all our neighbours present, aqnd looking at us as we entered the room.Mum was very popular in the area and having been a nurse until we came along and she decided she stay at home for us, was always helping out if there was an illness in any of the other families.

Dad told us to sit down and handed us a cola each

"I need to talk to you and it`s important you listen carefully as you have decide whether to help me get your Mum home again" he said

We just looked at him, saying nothing

"I`ve spoke to the hospital and they won`t let your Mum home in case she does something silly but we have come with idea that might hopefully help her to get better, but it all depends on you boys" he said

"Dad, if it concerns us and it`s decision why are the neighbours here ?" asked James

" Because we are going to need their help if you decide to go through with the plan" said Dad

We listened carefully to what he had to say

"You know your Mum lost the baby for some reason and can`t have anymore children, well the doctors think if she had a daughter to bring up, to dress in pretty clothes and all the things Mothers and Daughters do together she might just be well enough in time to come home for Christmas. I know that you like me are your missing your Mum a lot and want her home with us were she belongs" he said

"OK now the hard part for you three, I want one of you to agree to become a girl it might just be for a short time or it might be for the rest of your lives, that will depend on Mum`s reaction. Now I want you to go into the kitchen and talk about it and let me know what you decide" he continued

We sat in the kitchen and talked, we really wanted Mum home and we were all missing her terribly, after a while we agreed to go along with Dad, and now had to choose which of the three of would be would become the girl for Mum.

The twins looked at me

"Look Jack, your more like Mum in size and looks than we are so it would be better if you became the girl, we wouldn`t make fun off you and would protect you, and you might like being a girl better than a boy that gets bullied when we`re not around." said Brian

James left the left the room and returned with some old photographs of Mum when she was little girl, we looked through them for a few minutes

"Looking at these you could be her double for when she was a little girl" said James

Looking at the photo`s I couldn`t dispute what he said

"Ok so I look like mum when she was our age, what about the neighbourhood and school, what`s going to happen there if I start wearing dresses and playing with dolls ?" I asked

"I have a feeling that Dad has sorted the neighbours out and school will be no problem, we already keep the thugs away from you." said Brian

We sat in silence for a while and I thought about what they said and it was true I did look like I could have been Mums twin sister when she was a girl.

The twins kept looking at me and in the end I agreed to become the girl for Mum

We returned to the lounge where everyone was waiting, we sat back down and Brian told him we agreed to go through with his plan as long as the neighbours agreed and that there would be no trouble aimed at us.

Mrs Anderson who lived next door asked who the lucky person was, lucky I thought what did she mean by that?

"Dad, we looked at some photo`s of mum when she was our age and agreed that Jack would be better and he`s agreed to become the girl in the family" stated Brian as he showed Dad the photo he had brought in with him

Dad looked at the photo and me and the photo passed form person to person and everyone agreed we had made the right choice.

"I`ve talked to school and Jack won`t be going back there, after the holidays he or should I say she will be going to the girls school instead" said Dad

"We have a month or so to get you ready for your Mum and the ladies will be taking care of that, meanwhile your going to living next door for a while with Mrs Anderson until we get everything in your room changed and the room redecorated as befitting a young lady" he continued

Ms Graham who lived across the road asked if she could speak and dad nodded to her

"You know I teach at the girls school so new uniforms will have to be bought for Jack, and we really must get stop calling her that, she needs a new name. also you should get her enrolled into dance and ballet classes. she said

" Thanks Brenda, we going to need a lot help with this change and I`m relying on you ladies, money isn`t a problem just time. I`m hoping we have enough time to get our new girl ready. said Dad

"Oh don`t you fret over that Tom, she`ll be ready for Betty in about three weeks with a lot of hard work" said Mrs Riley

One of the fathers Mr Johns stood up and came over and picked me up,

"Don`t you worry about the boys around here any problems from them and they`ll be in dresses so fast it`ll make their heads spin. It`s a brave thing your doing for your Mum and everyone here will help you" he said

The meeting continued for about another hour talking about different things that would be needed after which I was taken next door by Mrs Anderson . Once the door was closed she led me to the room that I would be using and told me to undress for a bubble bath
before bed. The bath taken she handed me a nightdress and we went back downstairs to chat till my hair dried after which she put into a plait.

The following morning I was having breakfast as the neighbourhood women decended on the house, these were women with a mission and lots of money to spend courtesy of Dad. While I was eating list were being made of what I would need, an appoitment was made to get my hair done at the hairdressers. Today we getting the essentials and over the next few days the rest would got.

Mrs Johns had brought a small suitcase with her and took me and it to my room where she got me dressed ready to go shopping and as her daughter Lisa was small like me everything fitted. perfectly. She put my hair up in high pony tail and for the next hour I was taught to walk and sit like girl, smoothing my dress as I sat. Then it was time to go.

We arrived at the town shopping center in a mini bus and these women descended on the shops like locusts, we were in and out of shops with me being put into dresses, skirts, tops, blouses and shoes. the whole thing was bit of blur for me and before long we had loads of bags of clothes and accessories.

We were passing a lingerie shop and I was pulled inside by Ms Graham who showed me the sort of underwear older women wore, all lace and frills, Bra`s,panties, suspender belts etc, as we going round from rack to rack a voice called hi Viv. It was the owner of the store and the two women talked for a while, Ms Graham explained she was showing me what older women wore and the owner said "I`ve got suspender belts and stockings for children in stock, got them from a supplier in France" she led us into the back of the store and when we left I was the owner of several sets of matching lingerie. I didn`t realise that girls wore so many different things and how complicated everything was.

We went to a local cafe for a sandwich and hot drink, and afterwards to the hairdressers were my hair was cut and styled,nails varnished and ears pierced. then it was more shopping for jewellry and makeup, did 8 and 9 yr olds wear make up? I don`t know but eventually we finished and headed home.

I don`t know what happened at the hospital but Mum was told something and started to show signs of improvement, although I was staying with Mrs Anderson until the after weekend I was allowed to spend a couple hours with my family, Dad kept us up to date about Mum and was impressed with how I looked, he was more and more optomistic every day.when the bills were handed over he didn`t seem bothered when he saw the amounts being spent, but then we weren`t short of money with him owning a successful business.

When i eventually returned home dad showed me my bedroom, of course like he said it looked just a girls room complete with dolls and the other toys girls played with, there was a couple of bonus`s though I now had my own bathroom and best of all my own computer in pink of course, guess who had been getting advise from the neighbour wives and mothers.

Everyday after dad went to work and he boys went to school it was round to one on the neighbours houses to begin the next lesson on being a girl, trouble was I was now enjoying being a girl, the clothes were nicer to wear, and a lot softer feeling,I enjoyed the looseness of skirts and dresses but not the cold. It was fantastic at the beauty salons getting hair and nails done, having a make over and I got on well with the neighbourhood girls. The boys didn`t say or do anything they just stayed away from me to them I was now one of girls and my brothers had warned them off.

Everyday I becoming more and more like a girl, in my manner and demeanor and I didn`t want to go back to being a boy, all I could do now was hope that Mum would accept me as her daughter. I spoke to dad and my brothers about how I felt and they assured me that no matter whether I was a boy or a girl they would always love and be there for me.

Dad had spoke to the hospital and the doctors told him that they would arrange for me to a gender phsycologist and about a proceedure that would make me look like a girl even if I naked, Dad told me about the proceedure and after I agreed arranged for the doctors to it. I spent three days in the hospital and couldn`t get overf the fact that i could now wear girls swim suits.

My name had been changed to Jacqueline and everything was ready for me start at the girls school after the Cristmas holidays, I had been enrolled in the local Ballet and Dance Academy also to start after Christmas.

The time soon flew by and I was now happy and comfortable in my new gender, Dad was impressed with how much I changed and told us that Mum would be allowed home on Christmas Day. The week before I was given the task of ensuring that the house was cleaned, the women of neighbourhood all of who I now had to call Auntie helped me,especially when it came it came to the laundry. Who was to know that different textiles needed different treatment and that you didn`t mix certain items and colours, it was art in owns right.

At last Christmas Eve day and everything was ready, Dad couldn`t believe how clean the house was, and that all the laundry had been done, ironed and put away. That night I was once again sleeping next doorand had to stay out of sight until Mum came home then someone would bring me in through the backdoor.

"Dad , what about Christmas dinner, we have nothing in for it" I asked

"Don`t worry your pretty little head about it sweetheart it`s all arranged" he replied

I had been so busy over the last few weeks that I hadn`t given Christmas Presents any thought, I hadn`t got any presents for anyone and the shops would be closing soon. I asked Dad to run me to the shops and he agreed, at the last minute I was running around like a demented rat getting what I wanted to buy for everyone.

I didn`t sleep to well last night and Christmas day has finally arrived, I`d been up since 7am and after bathing spent an hour getting ready and then came the wait. Aunt Edith made breakfast and afterwardsI helped her clean up then I gave her the small gift I bought for her, it wasn`t much just a small ornament which she put with rest of collection. She saw the Taxi pull yup at house and the twins greeting Mum shortly after they entered house James came round and to get me.

We entered the kitchen through the back door and waited till Brian gave a signal, Nervously I entered the lounge and saw Mum she got up and wrapped me in a hug, she looked happy and said that I made a pretty daughter.

I looked up at her and said "Merry Christmas Mum"