FINAL TSTO Lesa Dec 14.pdf - Flipbook - Page 30
What do you hope for your child? Many parents hope
that they are: older, sober, that it is their choice rather
than feeling pressured into it, in love, have a respectful
relationship, use contraception. The list goes on, but
if you think in terms of what you want for them, rather
than closing your eyes and hoping they just don’t ‘do
it,’ your conversations will be more likely to contain the
real guts of what children want from their parents. All
that most children want is guidance about values and
feelings (and as a side effect they will be more likely to
put off having sex!).
What do I do when … my child calls ever ything
‘gay’?
‘That’s so gay’ has come to mean that something
is bad, or stupid. There is a good chance that your
child has been using this term for some years now. It
has become so common that it’s not unusual to hear
kindergarten children use it.
Tell them that you don’t like hearing this expression
because it is hurtful. ‘Imagine if a gay person heard it
or someone who thought they might be gay. When you
say that, you are saying that it is bad to be gay, but it’s
not. Ask them to find another word to use.
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