Oh Yeah, He's Straight

After eight years of parenting gay boys I have got into certain habits.

Like not questioning whether a girl who is a friend is really just a friend. I mean what else would she be? He says she is a friend and I totally accept it. I noticed Roland does too.

Before Gary went into the group home he had a girl friend, you know, the romantic type. He, in the time-honored tradition of those sent away from those they love (and with no oportunity to meet someone new) expected that she would be there waiting for him when he got out. He wrote her a few letters, but his therapist only forwarded one. At least that is what she tells him. In any case, she did not wait and has a new boyfriend.

He coped with this fairly well, and directed his attention towards another friend whom I shall call "Carole." Carole seems to be nice and mature young woman. Her moms seem pretty cool. Carole is their oldest child and they are as protective as many of us were with our eldest. Gary is only allowed to visit when the parents are there. That's a good thing.

I want to be clear; I don't think that Gary is lying to me. This post isn't really about that. It is really just that I keep forgetting he's straight. He tells me he's going to a girl's house and I say, "okay, see you later!" Yesterday he said he wanted to go over to visit with a boy who he met at football practice and a little buzzer went off in my head, "A boy? He's going to go visit a BOY. Maybe I should call and double check that the parents are there."

I have to re-orient my internal alerts.