That One Time Our Kids Asked What Gay Meant, & We Weren’t Expecting It

Recently, we were out and about with our three kids and my wife and I were so excited to see that stores and brands were supporting Pride Month with posters and rainbow flags. We were explaining what Pride was and I must have said “Gay Pride,” because all of a sudden our son starting yelling out, “What’s gay?!” in the middle of a store.

Suffice to say, neither I nor my wife were expecting to have that conversation right then and there. And we got the whole exchange on camera. Perfect, right?

I might have stumbled over the explanation, but I basically shared with our kids that it was when two girls or two boys like each other. Even though our kids have grown up with having two moms, it’s just their “normal,” so it wasn’t too surprising that even our eldest daughter didn’t know the word, “gay.”

I wasn’t expecting the question, and yes, I would have liked to have been prepared to answer said question, but all in all it went well. As you can see in our next video, Penn explains what it means to be gay in his adorable young mind.

But if we had to do it all over again, I think I’d have liked to have been prepared with what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. So parents, think on this and consider having a talk with your kids in a relaxed setting — maybe over pastries at breakfast — about what “gay” and “lgbt” and even “Pride” month is. I mean, come on, it’s the perfect time of the year!

Happy Pride Month!