Gay Parenting: A Not so Typical Look

Living the gay lifestyle and raising kids, it sounds complicated and it is! Some people will never accept that fact that gay people have kids too and that's okay, those are the same people who will never accept that one day … they too will be judged. Life goes on and for the gay family, well, obstacles seem to sometimes plague every corner.

First off, I'm not gay. I'm a heterosexual housewife with three boys and we live a normal country life. Twenty years ago the typical farm wife would never have associated with a gay man or woman, times have surely changed.

My first experience with anyone who was gay just happened to be my neighbors. Gary and James lived four houses down on the opposite side of the road, Gary had three children from a previous marriage with a woman and that was the result of trying to "fit in" with normal society (if there is such a thing) because back in the day, gay just wasn't in to say the least.

Gary and James rented the house from an elderly woman that my Mother cared for and from that relationship of accepting the rent every month, my Mother and James became inseparable. James accompanied us on shopping trips, swimming at the pool club and he even helped pick out my first junior high prom dress because his sense of fashion was far better than that of my Mother. Gary's children, all three girls and I played every weekend at their house; all of us were very close.

All the fun soon ended when Amber, the oldest of Gary's daughters learned that her dad was gay. It was devastating for Amber to say the least. Every child believes that they are born out of love and the fact that Amber believed her dad never loved her mom, that she was just a mistake or an attempt to look "normal" just tore her apart.

As I grew older, another friend of mine I met in high school, Jenna was in several of my classes and her dad owned a car lot. Jenna and I, like so many girls do had sleepovers almost every weekend. Jenna's parents had a horrible relationship that ended in divorce. Jenna too was devastated to find out that the marriage had ended because Jenna's mom chose to be with a woman who had been a family friend for years.