When I read about young kids questioning their gender identity and sexuality before the age of ten I must declare that innocence is lost.
This subject kept me awake for a while, last night, as I pondered this issue. I gazed out the sliding glass doors at the treeline behind the house and watched the twinkle of fireflies as they engaged in their courtship flights.
I remember chasing fireflies and catching them, putting a few in a jar, complete with air holes, and thinking how cool it would be to fill it and make a lantern of "lightning bugs" to illuminate the patio. I must have been all of six, perhaps eight years old, living in Teaneck, New Jersey.
In the 1960s, most kids, like me, were innocent. Nobody heard of a child that age pondering their sexuality.
Back then, kids couldn't wait to grow up, to learn to drive, and to get a job and earn money. For me, school was fascinating because I learned things. The more I learned, the more I realized that there were so many things I didn't know and I wanted to learn as much as I could.
Back then, kids would run through the local woods and play. They were discoverers, adventurers. The world was full of wonder.
Today, over-protective parents don't allow their kids to go out and play in the woods. They hover over them. Half of all families are headed by single parents and kids are not raised with the same parental influences of my generation.
Many kids live in fear of growing up. They are terrified by the concept of living on their own and supporting themselves. They feign wisdom on social issues like gender identity and sexuality when, deep down, they are emotional children. They have no confidence, no assertiveness, and cannot handle any sort of constructive criticism.
Parents, you owe it to your kids to let them explore the world around them. Give them the freedom to make mistakes and learn by them.
Kids have it tough enough already. If you are divorced, don't use them to manipulate the ex-spouse.
Raise your kids with as much wisdom and positive thought as possible and give them the space to make their own decisions on small things so that when they are confronted by big decisions, they have a better chance of doing the right thing.
