My Teen Son Thks He's Gay: Makg Friends

Contents:

• YOUR CHILD JT TOLD YOU HE'S GAY. NOW WHAT?
• WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"
• MY SON THKS HE’S GAY
• 15 YEAR OLD SON HAS JT ANNOUNCED HE IS GAY - ADVICE NEED ON BOUNDARI - LON
• THIS IS HOW I FELT WHEN MY SON TOLD ME HE WAS GAY
• HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD WHO IS QUTNG OR INTIFI AS LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER OR ASEXUAL (LGBTQA)
• MY TEEN SON SAYS HE'S GAY
• IS MY SON GAY OR IS A PHASE?
• OUR SEVEN-YEAR-OLD SON TOLD HE WAS GAY
• THIS IS HOW I REALLY REACTED WHEN MY SON TOLD ME HE WAS GAY
• EARLY SIGNS TO TELL YOUR CHILD IS GAY

YOUR CHILD JT TOLD YOU HE'S GAY. NOW WHAT?

For straight parents, havg a child reveal that he is gay n be a jolt. You might ask how long he or she has known, and why he feels he is gay, bi, or trans, suggts Jonathan Tobk, M.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"

D., a psychiatrist private practice New York Cy and the -thor of When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need to Know.

You n fd one through the Associatn of Gay and Lbian Psychiatrists. Take the extra step and show your child that you are terted beg the parent of a gay child.

MY SON THKS HE’S GAY

Edute yourself on what means to be gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr. PFLAG, or Parents for Lbians and Gays, which now has a group for transgenr youth, and holds natnwi chapters and meetgs;. When parents learn that their child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, they n experience a range of emotns.

As a matter of fact, you might someday look back and fd that you are grateful for the experience of havg a gay or lbian child. Well, my study of 65 fai of gay and lbian youth for the book, Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child, I found that some parents get to the pot where they believe that the experience of havg a gay child actually ma them a better person—more open-md and sensive to the needs of others, particularly those other mory groups. If you jt found out your child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, you may be thkg that such ias are prepostero.

15 YEAR OLD SON HAS JT ANNOUNCED HE IS GAY - ADVICE NEED ON BOUNDARI - LON

The tstworthy nfidants let them vent but also rrected some of the misperceptns they absorbed om society, such as that gay people are lonely, unhappy, promiscuo, not fay-oriented, unable to have children, or sted for an unhappy life.

THIS IS HOW I FELT WHEN MY SON TOLD ME HE WAS GAY

Contact Parents, Fay, and Friends of Lbians and Gays (PFLAG).

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD WHO IS QUTNG OR INTIFI AS LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER OR ASEXUAL (LGBTQA)

List of Helpful Books for Parents of Gay and Lbian Children. Straight Parents Gay Children: Keepg Fai Together (revised edn).

Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lbians, and Gays Talk About Their Experienc. Somethg to Tell You: The Road Fai Travel when a Child is Gay. Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child.

Fortunate Fai: Catholic fai wh lbian dghters and gay sons. Mom, Dad, I'm Gay: How Fai Negotiate Comg Out.

MY TEEN SON SAYS HE'S GAY

Rather than emphasizg whether or not to try to cut off his terchange — there is, after all, nothg wrong wh beg gay — a more important, longer-term qutn would be, “How n I help him improve his social skills? This strategy would hopefully provi a long-term solutn, whether or not he ntu to intify as gay.

If you’d like to jo the Fom, drop a le at do feel like to fd out that your son is gay? So my 19-year-old son told me he is gay last night.

IS MY SON GAY OR IS A PHASE?

He don’t “act gay, ” but ’s not a huge leap to image him beg still put me to shock. ”“Don’t get stuck on thkg about the mechanics of gay sex. Bee I’m obvly the person who is gog to have trouble unrstandg that he’s gay.

Often, the nversatns start after a kid has met someone who intifi as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer or asexual (LGBTQA). Exampl: lbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, pansexual, and Inty: The genr a person feels they are si.

MorePart 1: Talkg to Your Child About What It Means to Intify as Lbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgenr (LGBT).

OUR SEVEN-YEAR-OLD SON TOLD HE WAS GAY

As I relayed When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know (Sterlg, 2016), I found out that my son was gay om a note wh our son's name entwed wh another boy's, surround by a heart.

THIS IS HOW I REALLY REACTED WHEN MY SON TOLD ME HE WAS GAY

I had spected at tim that he was gay. Had I asked him if he were gay when he was 13, he probably would have fensively said "No!

San Berland, the mother of a gay son who ach parents of LGBTQ kids, utn, "It's not a good ia to ask. Acrdg to my -thor, psychiatrist Jonathan Tobk, "Gay children feel credibly vulnerable when g out to their parents, and tak time to work up the urage to do this. Mol acceptance by not g gay slurs and never tellg gay jok.

Watch gay-themed shows together such as "The Fosters" and "Will and Grace. " How do they pict gay people? React kdly to gay people the news or on televisn.

EARLY SIGNS TO TELL YOUR CHILD IS GAY

In a way, you have an advantage by not knowg; giv you more time to prepare for the day (if ever) when he do reveal he's gay. In the midst of this three-way screamg my son blurted out "mom and dad you should know that I'm gay. I had spected that my son might be gay but I'm wonrg if he might have said that sce he was angry.

It is actually not unmon for teens who are gay to let their parents know durg the heat of a fight.

Keep md that gay teens are at risk for all kds of psychologil distrs and you want to do whatever you n to provi a safe haven and a buffer for your son. Beg gay is only one aspect of his inty and he is the same person today that he was before he told you that he is gay.