Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/developing-sexual-identity-through-play-acceptance-curiosity-and-tolerance/5015644/
“Mommy, what does the word gay mean?” My husband and I were sitting at the dinner table with our three children when our eight-year-old son asked this innocent, yet controversial question. My husband and I agree on honest and direct answers to our children’s questions. We also realize that our children need to be developmentally ready to accept our answers.As my son sat waiting for an answer, my husband and I eyed each other and whispered that this was the time to give two definitions for the word gay. My husband told our son that gay was an adjective used long ago to signify happiness. I told him that today we use the word “gay” to describe two adults of the same sex living together as a family. The room was quiet for a moment until our daughter, a ten-year-old identical twin, said, “Well, if they live together, then I guess they are happy.”
This conversation was a priceless moment, yet one that is not unique. One day our daughter reported to the babysitter that sometimes girls date other girls. The babysitter didn’t know how to respond and told me of the incident. As parents and educators we need to ...