When I gave birth to two girls a year apart, I knew my life would definitely be an adventure. I wasn't disappointed for I was right.
My girls are Night and Day Samantha the youngest, was a tornado of activity in the womb and definitely outside the womb. She kept my mind and ears alert for the next move like a never ending chess game.
Do you have a little voice that comes from the backseat of your car? You know, your driving nice and straight, thinking about the next errand and suddenly this little voice behind you starts.
"Mom, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what would you to know?" You reply with encouragement.
"When I grow up if I'm a lesbian will you still love me?"
Bam! You try not to hit the break and cause a ten car pile up. All thought processes have just gone out the window and you check to make sure that your heart hasn't just quit beating for the day!
Deep breath, "Honey of course I'll love you, no matter what. Just because someone is a lesbian, do you know what a lesbian is?"
"Of course I do, it's a girl who likes girls."
"Can I ask you, why are you asking this question?"
"Some kids said so-and-so is one. I was just wondering if when I get older, I find out that I'm one if you'd still love me."
The ten-year-old mind, it's a challenge to the parent. We must answer their questions but how honestly?
I try to be very open and honest. It's not always easy but I feel it's important to feed that part of the parent child relationship and hopefully in the future it will have nurtured that relationship to become a very solid adult relationship. When they are young and what we think of as innocence is the volatile time to work on that growing adult inside of them. Like it or not these little minds and body's do become grown adults and too fast!
"Well you know it's not a disease and you can still be friends with so and so if you want to. I will always love you, you are my baby and you always will be honey."
Concentrate on driving while trying to catch a glimpse of that young face in the mirror.
"I know that!"
"Can I answer any other questions? I notice the oldest child is just as quiet as a mouse. Gotta wonder what's going on in her mind?
Conversation has ended, but I know the next time we go for a ride, the questions will be fired from the backseat once again. I just hope that I engage brain before mouth, think about the answer I do give, and If I need to change it, I do. And I will try to explain things to the best of my ability.
That's all any parent can do. Let's face it, if we could avoid these encounters it would be nice. However, our children would have no knowledge to lead them and we would be shunned as parents for not preparing our children. With all the media out there, some of which is good and other influences giving wrong information these days it's so scary.
Now the little voice that comes from my backseat belongs to my six-year-old granddaughter. She asked me the other day.
"Meme, did it hurt when you had your daughter, my mother when she came out of your belly?
Here we go again!
"Yes, Pumpkin, it hurt a lot!"
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Charlotte Mayo lives in
