L to R: Brandon, Nadine
From when my son was born I always knew he was different. He was a sweet, loving kid who didn’t act like the typical little boy. He wasn’t a bad child, just a different child. That became my mantra to people whose children were also different. When they tried to make ‘different’ bad, I would say, “Different isn’t bad, it’s just different. They are the same children that you gave birth to and that you fell in love with from the moment you laid eyes on them. They’re just different.”
As a parent, I did two things. I gave him time to prepare, and I gave myself time to prepare. Every mama duck knows her baby duck. You can see how your children are growing and the direction they are going in. You can’t hope that they become one thing or another, you just hope that they become strong, honest, loving, decent people.
One of the challenges I faced was just always being a welcoming force, and so, as time went on you kind of sit and you listen to some of the comments that people make that are hurtful, and you find yourself always defending. Not necessarily defending for your child, because those people may not know that your child is gay, but you’re defending for the whole gay community. Sometimes people make these blanket statements that you know are just based in fear and hatred, and when you question them on it or you call them on it, you find out how much of a coward they actually are.
I decide that I’ll let God do the judging. Until that time, I’m here to love and to draw people to a loving God.