Coronavirus lockdown led this dad to suspect his son is gay and his reaction is a masterclass in parenting
A father demonstrated what it means to be a good parent to an LGBT+ child in an emotional and powerful Reddit post about coronavirus lockdown.
In the lengthy post, the dad said he had suspected that his 20-year-old “pride and joy” might be gay for some time.
His son is currently a student at a university on the other side of the country, where he shares an apartment with a “friend”.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the son asked if he could return home to self-isolate – and if his “friend” could join him.
Being the good dad that he is, the man said yes. But while self-isolating with his son and his friend, he started to wonder if there could be something more between them.
“I’ve strongly suspected since his early teens that my son is gay, and I now more or less have confirmation that this is true and that his ‘friend’ is actually his boyfriend,” the man wrote on Reddit.
The dad caught his son and his friend ‘snuggled up’ in bed together.
He said he had caught his son and his friend doing “coupley things” on a number of occasions during coronavirus lockdown. He’d heard the friend refer to his son as “babe” and “sweetie”, and he had seen them put their arms around each other while watching films.
But the man found his most compelling evidence just days ago. He had been under the impression that the friend was sleeping in a guest room – but this wasn’t exactly the case.
“I don’t know what possessed me to do so, but on Tuesday morning I cracked my son’s door open to check on him like I used to when he was a kid.
Lo and behold, they’re both asleep, snuggled up together, in my son’s bed.
This incident “solidified” his view that his son and his friend are actually in a relationship. Despite this, he said he hadn’t mentioned it to either of them as he didn’t want to make them uncomfortable.
Adorably, he asked Reddit users for advice on how he could let his son and his boyfriend know that he is OK with them being a couple.
“I want them to be comfortable here and I want them to know I support them both no matter what. Or is that not a good idea? Am I better off leaving it alone and waiting until they tell me themselves, if they ever do?”
He said he didn’t want to “force either of them out of the closet” but is also afraid that they might feel like they’re being forced into a closet by his silence.
The man’s acceptance and love for his queer son is a masterclass in parenting an LGBT+ child.
Reddit users overwhelmingly urged the man to let his son know that he will be loved and accepted no matter what – and he did just that, apparently.
In a follow-up comment posted earlier today, the dad said they talked and his son confirmed his suspicions.
“He figured I knew but neither of us wanted to make the first move cause we didn’t want to make it awkward for the other.”
The Reddit post is a masterclass on how to be a good parent to a queer child. Instead of judging his son and his boyfriend for their relationship, the dad wants to celebrate them – and wants them to be comfortable showing their love and affection for one another.
