Are you a safe place for you kids to land? Do they know you have their back?  Do they know you are on their team?  If they know they are loved and safe with you they will open up more.  Parenting is about a relationship, not a behavior monitor.

You have the power NOW to choose how you will respond in different situations.  Decide now what your family values are and make these decisions based on your values.  Our personal family values are that the relationship matters the most and so our decisions are based on love, compassion, curiosity and connection.

When your child is struggling in school or gets in trouble with the law or is looking at pornography...they need support.  They need to know you have their back.

Parenting in this way isn't easy, it isn't being a pushover, it isn't allowing our kids to get away with things.  It's about a deeply connected relationship.  Its about communication and compromise, it's about decisions being driven by fierce love. 

Be the person your child deeply needs. 

what to do and say if your child comes out to you

A great resource for parents of LGBTQ kids