Many people have been supportive of my D coming out but not everyone has been accepting of her. To be honest I was completely stunned myself at first. Many people say that it is no surprise when their child comes out, because they had always suspected it, but that wasn't the case for me. I had known that my D was struggling badly, but had focussed on dealing with the anorexia, because it was life threatening. It is a whole whirlwind of emotions that I went through, luckily I was relatively calm when she told me and was able to say something appropriately loving, but after that I felt shocked, numb, like someone had kicked me in the stomach, worried, anxious, embarrased even. But in the background I was aware that my daughter had been dealing with all of this by herself for years, and the idea of that lonely confusion and suffering just about broke my heart, and I realised that this was her story, and that my job as her parent was to love her unconditionally and support her. I can't undo the pain she has been through, but I can be on her side now. So really I can't judge others who do not understand what it is like to have a different sexual orientation BUT kindness and compassion does not require total understanding, and we owe all people kindness and compassion.
I'm also learning to appreciate the amazing and tallented daughter that I have....a daughter to be proud of.
