Having a gay son/daughter can be an amazing gift

For starters, I'm not a parent. I just want to share a few of the experiences that my Mum has had since I came out.
Having a gay son has strengthened some of her relationships with others and allowed her to be a greater support to others.

Obviously she felt at a bit of a loss at the start, but as time went on - without any input from me - she kind of started to like it.

I think her first experience was shortly after I came out.
To put it into perspective, my Mum is in a caring/supporting profession and works with young people with varying disabilities.

Relationship strengthened.
The first person she came out to as a ... POGI(?) ... (Parent of a Gay Individual) ... was one of her workmates. I just made up POGI by the way for the purpose of this thread, there might be a better term for it.
Anyway, the first person she told, she found out that her work mate's daughter was a lesbian. It brought them closer together and they're now very very good friends.

Enhanced support abilities.
Several experiences followed that of her having gay clients.
While she didn't tell them about me, she says it made her more accepting, understanding and comfortable than she would have been before. So without knowing why, these young people felt more comfortable around her than with other support workers.
I think that's pretty amazing.

Family relationship strengthened.
Mum told me recently about another experience she had with her cousin.
Apparently there's a big secret/controversy in that side of the family with her cousin's son coming out and having a boyfriend. I've only ever seen these distant relatives at weddings and funerals, but I'm pretty sure they're quite conservative.
So, knowing that my Mum is a POGI, she was one of the early support conversations (even though they hadn't ever really talked to each other that much).

I'm sure there's been other experiences (I'll have to ask her), but this post is already too long.

I'm basically writing this to maybe help some struggling parents.
But also to find out if any other parents have found the gifts that being a POGI can bring.

Peace be with you all.

 

Keep faith guys, maybe your mums/moms will have some experiences too one day.