Parental support is important no matter the situation in life. But it’s arguably even more crucial when difficulties arise or sensitive matters are being discussed.
This redditor was praised by the online community for how supportive he was with his children, especially when one of them came out to him as gay. His wife was not as okay with her step-son’s sexuality, though, which is why she wanted her husband to stop hugging the child, but the father didn’t even consider such an option.
Parental support plays a significant role in a child’s life
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)
This dad was praised for taking his son’s side when his wife wasn’t comfortable with her step-son’s sexuality
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Separate_Recipe_4077
Supportive parents can make a world of difference
Whether they were lucky enough to receive unconditional support from their parents or suffered a lack of such, most people would likely agree that it plays a crucial role in the well-being of the child, as well as the parent-child relationship.
Research on how it affects school children found that parental support is linked with higher self-worth, as well as psychological and physical well-being. While such support is significant throughout the child’s entire life, according to the research, it is especially important when transitioning from childhood to adolescence, which often implies physical, cognitive, and emotional changes, and may lead to a shift in identity.
Another study emphasized that the same way parental support leads to positive outcomes, such as better self-esteem, social well-being, and lower depression among adolescents, lack of such can have detrimental effects, including psychological distress and other psychological complaints.
The evident positive and negative attributes related to (a lack of) parental support clearly show that the OP’s stance on his son’s sexuality—not caring who he starts a romantic relationship with and simply wanting him to be happy—must have had a strong positive influence on his child, which, unfortunately, is not the case in every family.
Image credits: Nienke Burgers (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately, not every family is equally accepting of the LGBTQ community
The OP’s wife—a step-mom to two of his children—found it difficult to accept and support Liam; and unfortunately, she’s not the only parent who finds it difficult to do so.
A joint survey from the Human Rights Campaign and the University of Connecticut, The LGBTQ Youth Report 2018, found that as many as 67% of LGBTQ youth hear their family members make negative comments about the community; the number of people hearing such remarks is even higher among LGBTQ youth who are not out to their parents yet.
“Many LGBTQ youth report coming out, being outed or being found out by their family as extremely stressful. Moreover, more than three quarters of youth in our sample rate coming out as LGBTQ to their parents as extremely stressful,” the study read in part.
Needless to say, coming out to his father was likely a big step for Liam, too; but luckily, his dad fell within the realm of parents supportive of their children in the community. According to the LGBTQ Youth Report 2018, roughly one-fourth of LGBTQ youth say that they can definitely be themselves in their homes in regards to their sexuality.
While far too many LGBTQ people can’t feel like themselves in their homes and around their families, the OP made sure it wasn’t the case in his household. In an update he shared more than a year later, he revealed that after a conflict between Liam and his wife, the redditor ended things with the latter and kicked her out of the house. “He should’ve never felt vulnerable in his own house,” the redditor wrote, referring to his son. Scroll down to find the full update below.
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Fellow netizens shared their thoughts in the comments, they applauded the OP for being a great parent
Image credits: Timur Weber (not the actual photo)
The redditor later provided an update on how things went from there
Image credits: Separate_Recipe_4077
He shared more details in the comments under the update, too
