Your Child’s Sexual Orientation

I get it. You worry about your child when they don’t fit into the binary of sexual attraction.

You worry for their safety, their acceptance, their well-being.

That you worry is reasonable. That makes you a parent.

However, the answer to resolving your worry can’t rest on seeking to change your child so that they fit into the binary.

In attempting that, you inadvertently become emotionally and psychologically unsafe to your child. In some instances, those who seek to change their child also become physically unsafe.

So while your concerns for their well-being are normal, consider a better path to their safety. Be their ally.

Be the first to make them feel safe by your acceptance.

Be available. Use your voice on behalf of those who do not fit the binary. It is not your child who must change, but those whose ignorance foments misunderstanding and even hate.

Educate others. Be the becon of light for those needing support for their kids too.

Therein you have a child who has a better shot at feeling good about themselves and finding a place in the world as they are.

Be that parent. Indeed, it’s likely consistent with who you want to be.

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I am Gary Direnfeld and I am a social worker. Check out all my services and then call me if you need help with a personal issue, mental health concern, child behavior or relationship, divorce or separation issue or even help growing your practice. I am available in person and by video conferencing.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

gary@yoursocialworker.com
www.yoursocialworker.com for counseling and support

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Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert in social work, marital and family therapy, child development, parent-child relations and custody and access matters. Gary is the host of the TV reality show, Newlywed, Nearly Dead, former parenting columnist for the Hamilton Spectator and author of Marriage Rescue: Overcoming the ten deadly sins in failing relationships. Gary maintains a private practice in Georgina Ontario, providing a range of services for people in distress. He speaks at conferences and workshops throughout North America. He consults to mental health professionals as well as to mediators and collaborative law professionals about good practice as well as building their practice.