Not that Special

 It has been a while since I have written, mostly because I felt uninspired. 

You see, life has been somewhat "normal," as far as pandemics go, anyway.

Hadley's being "different" or "gay" or looking "like a boy" has not been on my mind at all.

We have enjoyed many happy gymnastics classes, where she has almost mastered her back handspring and is feeling very confident about her hard work.

We had a wonderful fun-filled week at the beach with family, where Hadley enjoyed some swims with and without her shirt, and no one cared either way, especially me.

Hadley and Charlie have had MANY (dear Lord) fights, and not a SINGLE one has to do with the way she looks, dresses, or who she may marry one day.

Hadley has been enjoying playing with the two neighborhood friends she has been around during quarantine, and the way she looks never comes up. (Well, except that the neighbor-friend now wants her hair cut like Hadley's. HA!)

So, what is the point of all of it then? What is the point of the LGBTQ+ blog if there is no hardship to talk about?

The point is that her "difference" doesn't make her that "different." 

We are all special to some point, but she isn't more special than other children.

The fact that she is allowed to be the way she is SUPPOSED to be doesn't make her life harder or easier. She is just like everyone else.

She gets in trouble for sassing us or not being nice. OMG. Does she. She can be awful. I mean, the light-hearted need not attend the beginning of our hikes. Do not come near when I tell the great news that we are "going on a hike." The wrath of Hadley doth come out and doesn't go back into its cave until the hike is about to end. Then, the over-the-rainbow-happy-go-lucky Hadley comes out to join us (see happy camper below).

So, this blog post is about this:

If any of you out there are parenting a child whom you think might be LGBTQ+, let them be. Love them. Let them be who they are. It won't change who they are, but it will strengthen your relationship and make their life a little bit better. And possibly yours.  

Let them love who they love, and keep on loving them. Invite their friends over. Invite their "significant other" over. Let them be gay. Let them be trans. Let them wear pride wear. Hell, wear it yourself. Let them fly the pride flag, and you fly one for them.

Just don't let them be assholes. 

Asshole kids (and the adults they grow into) are WAY worse than gay/trans/queer/anything else kids (and adults).