A student called her 7-year-old son 'gay' in school — her amazing response is a masterclass in parenting
The idea of sexuality and identity can be complicated for children. They are exposed to different ideas, and not all of them may be positive or true. It is crucial to help them unlearn stereotypes and build an open mindset. A mom, who goes by u/Able-Tourist-4405, shared a post on Reddit about the time her 7-year-old son was called “gay” by a fellow student in his school. Her response is winning the internet.
The mom revealed that an 8-year-old student called her son “gay” in school. The boy discussed this with his mother. Because of his age, he didn’t fully grasp the meaning of the word and was curious. He asked his mother what the term meant. “In the past, we have talked about how everyone’s family is different, how love is love and it doesn’t matter if ladies love ladies or men love men, etc,” the mom shared. She made it a point to make it clear to her son that “everyone deserves love and respect and it’s all okay.” When the mom was faced with the responsibility of explaining the term as a parent, she ensured he didn’t develop negative feelings about it.
“So when he asked me what ‘gay’ meant, I explained to him that that’s what it’s called when ladies want to marry ladies or men want to marry men. And he looked confused and said, 'But I’m not gay, so why would that boy say that to me?’” the post read. The student may have meant to insult or tease the boy by calling him "gay" when he wasn’t. However, the mom did not wish to impress upon her son the idea that being gay was something bad. According to her, this type of thinking was “not an option.” So, instead of revealing to her son what the student’s intentions might have been and creating a subconscious stereotype, she responded with a better explanation.
“I just replied, ‘Well then, it wasn’t a very good insult, was it? Because there’s nothing wrong with being gay.’ And he agreed with me and the conversation was over,” she remarked. The mom wondered whether she handled the situation well but people supported her unique parenting. In a comment, she wrote, “I intend to circle back to this conversation with him to include more information as I see fit for his maturity level and understanding.” u/urbarnabydos said, “I think you handled it just fine. My own inclination would have been to introduce the idea that there are people that think being gay is bad.”
u/freecain added, “I think you did great.” u/TheGreatestIan remarked, “It's fantastic. I'm just imagining your son replying to any insult now with this in a very monotone voice and am amused all over again.” u/asteroid84 wrote, “I think you handled it really well. Simple and to the point.” u/EyeandIsland said, “That's what I call a pro parent move. You nailed it!”
