It Gets Better.

It Gets Better...what a wonderful message for teens. Every teen needs to hear those words sometimes.

I think teens and sexuality is complicated. It's difficult on many levels. At our local high school there are a number of kids who have come out as gay. Sometimes I worry about that. Sometimes I wonder if some of them are really sure. Sometimes I worry that once they have a label, it can be difficult if not impossible to change that later. Sometimes though, I think back to the friends I had in high school who were gay. Should I say who people thought/assumed were gay, because back then, kids did not typically come out. Back then, they were just "different" and lonely.

I think about them a lot these days.

I think about them when I hear the number one cause of teen suicide is homosexuality.

I think about them when I watch shows like Glee, which I think does a decent job with it's gay character, Kurt. My heart ached for Kurt in this past week's episode where you got a glimpse of the loneliness he deals with as the school's lone gay teen that has come out.

I think, and I feel sad.

I believe that homosexuality is not a choice.

I encourage you to read Mary's brother's post yesterday on Life In a Small Town.

I know homosexuality is complicated. My feelings are complicated. What I do know though is that I never want my kids to think, even for a moment, that if they are gay they would be any "less than". That they would not be loved and accepted by me. I sure never want to think about them killing themselves over it.

I know with this one, like a lot of teen issues, parents are not always privy to what's in their kid's heads. I'm glad to hear of the It Gets Better Project. I hope it helps. I hope it helps kids not feel so alone, or desperate. I hope it helps them truly understand that if they're experiencing difficulty or bullying in their lives, that it's temporary. That things will get better. I hope it makes a difference. I hope it saves lives.