Dear Editor,
My name is Chris. My wife and I have been married for 24 years. I can't tell you that it is perfect; in fact it is probably as imperfect as imperfect can get, but we love each other.
We have two boys and I can't tell you what they are (in terms of orientation). One is too young, at least in my household (he is 13), the other is 21 and he is already dating the young lady whom he says he will marry.
Is their sexual orientation the foundation or even concern of what I want for them? No, it is not. Why? At the beginning and the end of the day they see their mother and me together. For them, what they see and live become the reality of their young lives. Again, I state very clearly, perfection does not reside here, but love does.
They know how to love me as their father and how that love is articulated. They know how to love their mother and how that love is articulated. They know how, in an appropriate manner, to display love to those in our extended family and to strangers.
That knowledge begins with us, their parents, and ends with what they build from what they have learned from us.
What do I want for them? I want my sons to contribute to this society or wherever in the world they live. They must never be a burden to society. They must never be involved in any crime or be a party to criminal activity (otherwise they have me to deal with).
Nothing and no conversation is off limits in my house. We talk about everything, including why a man or woman would consider a same-sex union.
When our society functions at that level of maturity and tolerance, do we have to experience the kind of rhetoric and intolerance that has been demonstrated by all sides? I don't think so.
We need to grow up. There is a real world out there with real problems. What happened to Brendan Bain is wrong, and he is dealing with it. What are the rest of us doing?
Christopher Givans
christopher.givans@gmail.com
My name is Chris. My wife and I have been married for 24 years. I can't tell you that it is perfect; in fact it is probably as imperfect as imperfect can get, but we love each other.
We have two boys and I can't tell you what they are (in terms of orientation). One is too young, at least in my household (he is 13), the other is 21 and he is already dating the young lady whom he says he will marry.
Is their sexual orientation the foundation or even concern of what I want for them? No, it is not. Why? At the beginning and the end of the day they see their mother and me together. For them, what they see and live become the reality of their young lives. Again, I state very clearly, perfection does not reside here, but love does.
They know how to love me as their father and how that love is articulated. They know how to love their mother and how that love is articulated. They know how, in an appropriate manner, to display love to those in our extended family and to strangers.
That knowledge begins with us, their parents, and ends with what they build from what they have learned from us.
What do I want for them? I want my sons to contribute to this society or wherever in the world they live. They must never be a burden to society. They must never be involved in any crime or be a party to criminal activity (otherwise they have me to deal with).
Nothing and no conversation is off limits in my house. We talk about everything, including why a man or woman would consider a same-sex union.
When our society functions at that level of maturity and tolerance, do we have to experience the kind of rhetoric and intolerance that has been demonstrated by all sides? I don't think so.
We need to grow up. There is a real world out there with real problems. What happened to Brendan Bain is wrong, and he is dealing with it. What are the rest of us doing?
Christopher Givans
christopher.givans@gmail.com