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Originally Posted by SpiritofZoe
I can't help but worry about him, but ... He is a lot happier now, and I am excited to see him grow.
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In a nutshell, that has been my experience with being a parent.
Managing my worry is my problem / challenge and has nothing to do with my kids. Hard as it is to say, my first knee-jerk response to any "outside the box" choice they make is - what will everyone else think about it, which is really boiled down to - will they be safe in this world? And because I cannot control that, (and control is my middle name) I have learned to have faith and believe they will be safe. I have learned not to care or even contemplate what other people might think about anything - which is a gift my child gave to me. It has made me a much stronger person to live this way. That belief changed my world.
And, the bottom line, we just want our kids to be happy. And when they are, you get to interact with them in such a fun, happy, mind blowing way. There is nothing better as a parent than when their child is happy.
I am beginning to believe that, because my kid has come out of so many closets, there may be no end to the closets she/he has yet to explore. Just when I think, OK - now I know who she/he is, she/he is busy smashing another closet door and I have to grow again and come to a place of embracing that closet door.
Nothing says a mothers love like acceptance. Changing one's belief system is not for sissies.