3 August 2017

This time next year

I had to have a really difficult conversation with my daughters aged five and six this week.

And I blame Brad Purdy and Karl Stefanovic.

source: News.com.au
We were watching our recording of 'This Time Next Year' on Tuesday afternoon and Karl encouraged Brad to say it out loud..... so he did.

"I am gay."

Says the six year old who is about four years late to the "WHY" stage.... "Why did he have to say it out loud?"

So I explained that he has never told anybody before that he is gay.

"But why not?"

"Well he was worried that his family and friends might not love him if they knew."

"But why?"

"Well some people don't think that loving people of the same gender is okay."

The five year old now adds her "But why?" in that tone that tells an adult that they are making no sense at all and you are definitely not getting your point across.

This is where it got tricky - how do you summarise the complex issues of bigotry, politics, religion and the importance of equality into a few sentences that explains everything in a way that is suitable and digestible for two small people. So I said 'Um' and paused for a moment.

And the six year old interjects with "So Brad hasn't told anybody that he wants to find a husband because he is worried his Mum and Dad might be mad at him?"

"Well yes, I suppose so."

"But it's just love, why would his Mum and Dad care who he loved? Isn't love good?"

"Yes, yes it is".

"I don't get it. If you love somebody, you just tell them. You can love anyone you want. It's nobody elses business right?"

And in that moment I could have hugged them so hard they popped. I would have liked to have sat them down in front of every opponent of marriage equality and said to them THIS. THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS.

It's just something you tell people. It's nobody else's business. It's definitely not something that needs to be voted on.  Kids get it. It's only adults that make it more complicated than it needs to be.

But because I'm a responsible parent I just said "No it's nobody else's business my darlings, you're quite right.  It's just that some people are....."


Well yes.

But just for the record I was going to say "odd about things sometimes."


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