It was Father's Day actually.
And I had taken my {future} step daughter to the mall because:
{i wanted to let her dad sleep, after working until 3am}
{i felt like shopping, and Bath & Bodyworks had a sale}
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| She's the one looking right at the camera...sheesh she's a cutie. |
And since it was Father's Day, we had to find a gift for my fiance.
And since it was the mall, we had to go into Hot Topic...
Which led to me finding myself a Lady Gaga Tshirt.
That proclaimed
"Don't be a drag, just be a queen"
Which led to the wee one asking what that meant, and me explaining that Lady Gaga sings about drag queens and all kinds of different people and how they don't deserve to be treated any differently than we do...and she asked what a drag queen was. Damn. I should have known that a nine year old wouldn't know what that meant.
So I explained it to her.
Which pretty much led into a whole lecture on alternative lifestyles.
But why shouldn't she learn about it? Regardless of other people's feelings on the matters of "gay marriage" and other things of that sort, my fiance and I are all about equality, and making sure that his daughter is going to grow up that way too. {as in, concious that just because someone has a different belief/lifestyle/upbringing/etc. than you, doesn't make them any less of a person, and everyone should be treated equally.}
I know those conversations are ones that a lot of parents shy away from, much like the "where does a baby come from?" questions, but I think kids have a right to know this stuff. Maybe not a full on breakdown of what happens in the bedroom, but generally speaking it can't be a bad thing.
What do you think of having these discussions with your children??
Which pretty much led into a whole lecture on alternative lifestyles.
But why shouldn't she learn about it? Regardless of other people's feelings on the matters of "gay marriage" and other things of that sort, my fiance and I are all about equality, and making sure that his daughter is going to grow up that way too. {as in, concious that just because someone has a different belief/lifestyle/upbringing/etc. than you, doesn't make them any less of a person, and everyone should be treated equally.}
I know those conversations are ones that a lot of parents shy away from, much like the "where does a baby come from?" questions, but I think kids have a right to know this stuff. Maybe not a full on breakdown of what happens in the bedroom, but generally speaking it can't be a bad thing.
What do you think of having these discussions with your children??
5 comments:
This is amazing, and I totally agree! Children should be taught about these things-awareness leads to more intelligent young adults that can grow up and make the world a better place! Kudos to you!
So true, I mean they are people in our society, why can't a child know about them? Way to raise an open minded gal :)
I'm all for it. I plan on answering all these questions for my kid too.... Even if it makes me uncomfortable as hell ;) liking the new look around here, btw!
I am very straight forward with my kids. I teach them to embrace people from all walks of life. Watching glee with my nine year has open up many a discussion!! I am just matter a fact about it :) Like, "Oh, he just feels better when he embraces his feminine side and wears dresses...I might add, I like him. I glad he can be himself. :) Kids learn hate. They are actually quite tolerant to start :)I am not squeamish about any subject with them! I understand that not everyone sees it this way, but I understand that too :)
Karen
I think you're a hero for doing that! The worst thing you can do is deter a child's curiosity (which will lead them to seeking the answer on their own, from a less trusted source- like their equally-ignorant friends, who will probably give them the wrong information).
Well done, you! Also, there's career opportunities in makeup artistry and stage costume, which is huge in the drag circuit, should she ever be curious about a future job painting faces or glueing rhinestones. :)
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