I take the pledge.

Let me start by saying, you don't have to agree with me. 

This is not a hot topic charged blog.I touch on pretty light hearted subjects. Usually it's potty training, teething, kindergarten and getting the kids to listen. I think my deepest subjects to date  have been Play Date Etiquette, What to feed my kid for lunch and Heckling parents on the sidelines of athletic events. But the recent news stories about Gay teens being bullied to where they felt the only place to turn was suicide has me saddened and troubled. 

A recent article I read Against 'Bullying'or On Loving Queer Kids by Richard Kim online at The Nation had me touched and thinking. The article, a must read,whatever your opinion on the subject may be, is about the struggles of Gay teens and bullying. In one part of the story, Kim lists a number of gay teens who have taken their lives because they had no where to turn. No one should feel that suicide is the only option. No one should be left to feel that because they are gay, they do not deserve to live. 

At the end of the article Kim states something that everyone should read and everyone with kids should understand, "It's tougher more uncertain work creating a world that loves queer kids, that wants them to live and thrive. But try—try as if someone's life depended on it". 

I read this article and looked over at my 5 year old son and my 3 year old daughter, watching Sesame street, eating snacks, naive to the cruelty of this world. I imagined them being gay and being bullied and feeling that there was no where to turn, no one to talk to and no support system available to them. And I almost started to cry. No one should have to feel this way.No one deserves to feel like an outcast, like a disease, like someone that deserves to be laughed at. 

I don't know how my parents did it. But they taught my sister and I that differences are what make this world beautiful and that everyone deserves the same amount of love and respect as the next person. I take this pledge now to understand my children. To love my children and to always make them feel like they can talk to me and that no matter what the discussion or the topic, I will always give them unconditional love, support and respect for their view, beliefs or opinions. 


I take a pledge now, not to teach them hate, disgust or disrespect. To teach them that people are different and even though they may not agree, everyone deserves respect for their opinions and lifestyles. 


Take the pledge with me.

Besides, gay or straight, anyone that tries to bully my kids, better watch out.