Not Ready To Love a Gay Child? Then Don’t Have Kids
Parents need to do better, says Amelia. Especially when it comes to their children coming out.
By Amelia
Parents annoy me — annoy and frustrate me. I know that’s an odd statement considering that I am a parent. (And yes, I annoy myself sometimes.) We parents need to do a lot better.
For the past couple of months, I have been answering some questions for The Parents Project, an organization that lets parents of LGBT kids ask questions and get answers. It’s a great idea, and I feel honored that they think I might have something wise and helpful to say. A little while ago I was given this question:
My daughter recently told me that she is bisexual, but she hasn’t told her father. She is concerned that he will have a poor response, and to be totally honest I am also concerned. I don’t want to keep this from him, and I certainly don’t want her to have to keep it a secret in our home, but I am not at all sure how to handle the situation. Do you have any advice?
I thought about this question for a few days, but in the end, I gave up. Every response I could think of wasn’t the least bit wise or helpful — things like: