Man was scared after coming out to his dad — he couldn't believe the texts his father sent him the next day

A parent's support for their child might determine the kind of relationship they share with them. A son who had just come out to his dad as gay was scared of how he would react, but was surprised to see the supportive texts that followed afterwards. The man, Daniel Dana, who goes by @danielldana on Instagram, recounted the moment he came out to his dad and how he felt after that when he got an unexpected text from his father.

"Remembering the time I came out as gay to my dad and being so scared, only to have him send me these texts the next day," the text overlay of the video read. The dad had sent the man pictures of books that he had bought after his son came out to him. One of them was "Always My Child" by Kevin Jennings, which is supposed to be "A parent's guide to understanding your gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning son or daughter." The other book was "Is it a choice?" by Eric Marcus, in which the author answers people's common questions about homosexuality. There was another book called "This is a book for parents of gay kids" by Danielle-Owens Reid and Kristin Russo. "A question and answer guide to everyday life," the description read.

"Those are the books I got. Love you," the dad had written in one part of the text message. "I watched the movie, 'Love, Simon,' yesterday," the dad shared. "Did you like it?" the son asked. "I didn't like the plot, but it is good. They have more movies about LGBTQ," he further added. "It was sweet!" the dad responded. A child's relationship with their parents can have a huge impact on their sense of self and their future relationships, according to the National Council on Family Relations. Acceptance from parents towards their gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender child can significantly affect their mental health, well-being and self-esteem even as adults, making it crucial. Many people shared their thoughts on the dad's reaction in the comments section of the video.

@hellolovey96 wrote, "I'm imagining him at the bookstore talking to the employee about how much he loves you and it is making me cry." @tinebean commented, "I genuinely could never ever in a million years understand the mentality of a parent who would disown their child because of who they love. I’m so glad to see these actual good loving parents." @valjb_ remarked, "Reminds me of my dad, who passed away. He was against lgbtq at first when I came out and our relationship was terrible until he met my boyfriend. At this point, all he was saying to me was that he was so proud of me and he loved my boyfriend as if he were his own."

@likaelre shared, "See, that's the sign of a good relationship and a loving parent! If you come out to somebody and their first instinct is to research how to support you, then that is the greenest of green flags!" @angie_korre expressed, "I love this. When my cousin said to his dad (my super supportive, but dad-joke enthusiast uncle) that he was gay, my uncle said, 'Let me get this straight... because apparently you don't.'" @bluehairchick said, "My dad just said, 'Oh...ok' over the phone and then we didn't talk again for like 2 months...eventually sends a classic 'dad selfie' of him wearing a shirt with a rainbow logo."

You can follow Daniel Dana (@danielldana) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.