There is hope!

When a child comes out, there is often a lot of confusion, guilt, shame and so many questions. We wonder if we will ever get to a point of being happy to have an LGBTQ child. We’d be satisfied to just be okay and not feel how we feel at the moment.

But there is hope! I recently posted this on my Facebook page: Fill in the Blank: My favorite part of having and LGBTQ child is______. The answers should give anyone who is struggling hope!

Their hearts, they love deeper than most kids.
Their open-minded views.
Loving them and growing as a person and parent because of them.
His loving, creative, caring spirit! And his amazing smile!
Their sense of humor, quirky personality
I’ve been taught more about unconditional love, not judging, compassion and walking as I THINK Jesus would want me to – from this experience – than I ever learned sitting in a pew in a church.
We talk about some REALLY interesting topics!
The kindest and most caring person to have entered my life. For that I am blessed and grateful to them to have chosen me to be their mom. (I believe that we give birth to our children but they chose us to be their parents.)
Everything I’ve learned from them. Getting to watch them transform.

Having an LGBTQ child opens your heart in ways you cannot imagine. Getting to know others in the LGBTQ community is an honor and privilege. I’ve learned so much from being the parent the parent of an LGBTQ child. I learned the importance of diversity and inclusion. I learned just how strong and smart and caring my son is, in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Since my son came out, I’ve become more than a supporter for the LGBTQ community. I’ve become an ally and then an advocate.

If you are the parent of an LGBTQ child who recently came out and you are grieving the loss of your hopes and dreams for your child, that’s okay. It’s a process many of us go through. You will wake up and see just how resilient and strong your child is. You will see them create the life of their dreams and be happy in ways you couldn’t imagine. It will fill your heart with love and pride and you will eventually realize you still have the child you thought you had-only better!