LGBT parenting
As I prepare to send my little ones back to school, I grab my handy-dandy checklist to make sure they have everything they need to make it through the school year. From school supplies to clothes to backpacks to self-esteem.
Endless calls came in on my daughters’ phone after the Century 21 theater shooting in Aurora last month: friends telling her that one of her classmates’ mother was a victim. Since some of the same “friends” played a similar joke on her a few months ago, I didn’t believe them and encouraged my daughter not to believe them as well. I made her turn off the phone. I reassured her that it was just a rumor and that I would find out the truth.
I never thought that our last words would be an argument over who our beautiful daughter looked more like.
He was charming. He was handsome. He was a minister. He was perfect to co-create with. We both agreed that we wanted children. Best of all, he didn’t have a problem with me being gay.
What “role” do you play as a parent – the mom or the dad? That’s…
After sitting with skeletons in my closet for many years, it was finally time to “clean house” – closet included. I began to address and clear out cobwebs of hurt and anger and in the middle – like an elephant in the room – there sat a large pile.
It had to be addressed: Coming out to my childre
Birthday parties. Cleaning up owies. Going to parent-teacher conferences. The giggles and laugher. The tears and hurt feelings. Fixing the bike and throwing the ball. Oh, the joys and the stresses of parenthood.
It was a delirium of sleep deprivation, anxiety and stress, lack of food for more than a day and the emotional rush of watching the love of my life bring life into the world. But my next memory is something I’ll never forget: As the nurse tenderly set Miles on the warming table, I extended my finger. His tiny, wrinkly, newborn hand wrapped around it. My heart melted – I was a mommy.
Sometimes family bonds need to be forged anew when parents learn that a child is gay. So it was with Trish Pachak, who confronted her daughter about her suspicions 13 years ago.
