This month I want to talk about acceptance in times of great change. Traditionally at Easter time we receive a message of rebirth and regeneration – so what about when someone you know and love ‘comes out’ of a closet and asks to be ‘reborn’? How do you deal with that?

In a world where so many young people are struggling to come to terms with themselves, mental health issues are at an all-time high and the conversations are wild, I want to take a gentle look at how we can all ‘do better’ to support young people – and older ones – as they make a journey of self-discovery.

Open and accepting conversations with our children

No matter what age you are when you first realise you feel ‘different’, the world you grew up in will have had a massive impact on how well you can cope with your new-found knowledge. To this end, I am advocating that we have open and accepting conversations with our children right from the start.

You don’t have to be gender-neutral particularly, but maybe avoiding ramming them into a pink or blue box at birth is a good start?

Celebrate ‘otherness’ rather than ‘normality’

When discussing the future, keep options open regarding relationships, hobbies, jobs or ways to live. I think most of us these days know at least one person who would identify as different in some way or another. Celebrating ‘otherness’ rather than ‘normality’ sends a great unspoken message to our children so that if and when the times comes for them to ‘come out’, they will already know they are in a loving and accepting place.

It is 2019 and gender is fluid, sexuality is wide-ranging, job prospects are endless and wonderful, and being different is possibly the most normal thing in the world. I for one am so glad to live in a time when we can love and support everyone – no matter how surprising their new discoveries may be, and at the same time walk through any barriers of discomfort without guilt or shame, because, let’s face it, no one is an expert in change, we are all just doing the best we can.

However you identify, you are loved

So be you male, female, trans, gay, straight, bi, pan, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Jewish, person of colour, mixed heritage, differently abled or a total alien (but that’s another article!), you are welcome, loved, wanted and needed to be a part of this wonderful school of life we call the earth.

Parents blessed with children get to learn through their eyes and what a lesson we are learning: acceptance, tolerance, patience, true unconditional love. I believe that being in a family means being willing to learn something new every day. Enjoy the journey: it looks incredible!