I think my child might be Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Gender Queer/Questioning/Asexual.....What do I do?
1, 2, 3, 4 Open up the closet door
5,6,7,8 Don't assume your kids are straight.
First, you need to be supportive of your child. If it hasn't been confirmed that your child is gay/bisexual/transgender/etc. that would mean that they are "in the closet". This could be for many reasons:
A) They don't accept it themselves, they feel they are just simply confused.
B) They fear the unknown. This is most common in households with "conservative views". Your child could afraid to come out because if they do, they fear the repercussions that may come from it, i.e. loss of friends, being kicked out, lack of support from their family, etc.
C) They feel it would be easier to hide their identity.
These are some of the main reasons a child would stay in the closet. These reasons may not seem big to you, but for most, these are enough to hide who they really and truly are. If you want them to be open with you about their sexuality, the best thing for you to do is "open up" the closet door for them. You can do this by openly discussing rights of the LBGTQIA community. You can also make sure they know that you will love them no matter who they are and what their sexual preference is.
Your child may be confused, as coming out of the closet for many is a very traumatic and scary situation. However, do not push your child to come out. Let them come to you.
Here are some helpful links:
http://www.parenting.com/article/could-your-child-be-gay
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101119093714AAprE03
http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2013/april/help-my-son-is-gay.html
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/families/a/LesbianDaughter.htm
http://gayteens.about.com/od/informationforparents/f/parents_support.htm
5,6,7,8 Don't assume your kids are straight.
First, you need to be supportive of your child. If it hasn't been confirmed that your child is gay/bisexual/transgender/etc. that would mean that they are "in the closet". This could be for many reasons:
A) They don't accept it themselves, they feel they are just simply confused.
B) They fear the unknown. This is most common in households with "conservative views". Your child could afraid to come out because if they do, they fear the repercussions that may come from it, i.e. loss of friends, being kicked out, lack of support from their family, etc.
C) They feel it would be easier to hide their identity.
These are some of the main reasons a child would stay in the closet. These reasons may not seem big to you, but for most, these are enough to hide who they really and truly are. If you want them to be open with you about their sexuality, the best thing for you to do is "open up" the closet door for them. You can do this by openly discussing rights of the LBGTQIA community. You can also make sure they know that you will love them no matter who they are and what their sexual preference is.
Your child may be confused, as coming out of the closet for many is a very traumatic and scary situation. However, do not push your child to come out. Let them come to you.
Here are some helpful links:
http://www.parenting.com/article/could-your-child-be-gay
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101119093714AAprE03
http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2013/april/help-my-son-is-gay.html
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/families/a/LesbianDaughter.htm
http://gayteens.about.com/od/informationforparents/f/parents_support.htm