Durban mom: 'My daughter is gay and I love her anyway'
Being a parent is no easy task, but Jane hopes that Gail Stadler's story will be the inspiration you need to get you through 'tough' parenting moments.
Listen as Gail shares her parenting experience with Jane in the podcast, then read more below:
I received an email from Gail Stadler, a mom from Durban, and the content of the email moved me greatly. The email was a true testament of a mother's love for her child, and her need to want to help other families dealing with a similar situation.
My story is one of heartache and struggles within myself and 'what are our family and friends going to say' to one of joy, peace within myself, absolute amazement and tolerance towards others, and an unbelievable growth within myself as a human being.
I was so moved by the openness and honesty in the email that I received from Gail and I definitely think that the world needs more moms like her.
My biggest wish is that the email and chat inspires conversation and allows parents, together with their children, to have real conversations, no matter how hard they are. Life is too short to lose precious time worrying about who your child falls in love with.
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Look, I get it. As a mom of three children, I have this built-in mechanism that wants me to be able to protect my kids from harm and judgement, regardless of what the context is. I think, for the most part, parents who battle with hearing their children coming out as gay fear that the world will be unkind and unforgiving. Sure, it may be the case, but home shouldn't be a place of judgment and scrutiny, right?
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Love your children while you can regardless of their choices, as hard as it may be. If they are happy, love and accept them for who they are while you can. Life is uncertain. My advice to parents out there is to make today count.
If anyone is battling with coming to terms with their sexuality or accepting someone in their life as gay, please feel free to contact Gail on [email protected]