# The kids are alright - it's the adults that are confused **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 15, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761 "2011-08-15T05:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/21 "2011-08-15T19:00:39Z")
For some reason I can’t put my finger on, I do not want to have a shared learning experience in which we discover my child’s sexual orientation. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/22 "2011-08-15T19:23:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I agree with the OP 100%. It’s not the kids, but the parents who are the problem. “The problem” being the conversation between kids and parents about sex and sexuality. Just don’t throw too much at them at too young an age. Not saying it’s easy to know exactly what to say when, but part of being a parent is making a good effort at figuring that out. You are looking at this from the adult point of view. In NJ my kids grew up on a street with two gay couples. They lived together, one pair for a very long time, clearly loved one another, but my kids never thought about it in terms of what they did in bed. This was as much a natural part of their environment as the married opposite sex couples and the woman on her third husband and as their many adopted friends. I expect that when kids grow up with same sex couples as a natural part of their environment they won’t get shocked when they realize about the sex part (probably less than when they realize their parents are still doing it.) Unless of course they fall under the influence of someone with an agenda. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/23 "2011-08-15T19:30:04Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > It is my firm belief that many kids do not question what they are taught, which is the problem. Which is why it’s important that one of the things you teach them is _to question_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/24 "2011-08-15T21:42:38Z")
Anecdote time: At a recent family gathering, a young cousin (about 8) was present, as was a family member who’s transsexual. At one point during dinner, the youngster asked “Are you a boy or a girl?” The response: “I prefer to think of myself as a girl”. To which the youngster replied “OK”, and didn’t worry about it any further. OK, so gender identity isn’t the same thing as orientation, but it seems to me that if kids can casually accept transsexuality that way, they can accept homosexuality, too. ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/25 "2011-08-15T21:47:12Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Which is why it’s important that one of the things you teach them is _to question_. Agreed. I don’t think kids really learn to question until they get to college. It pretty much depends on the professors they have. Some professors do not like students questioning them; however, I think most professors encourage it (as they should). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761/26 "2011-08-15T22:00:44Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Inspired by the various gay muppet marriage threads. And sponsored by the letters K and B and the number 5. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kids-are-alright-its-the-adults-that-are-confused/592761.md?page=1)