Parents

I read a chapter in Howard Brown's Familiar Faces Hidden Lives about gay men and their parents back in the 1980s. I can't help but wonder if my dad would still love me if I am gay. I think Brown is right in saying that for some family a child's "coming out" is the ultimate test of their family bond. I wonder what my dad would do...

I use to doubt my dad's love for me as most Asian children do. After all, our common subject of conversation is school/success. Hence, many of us grow up fearing failure. I think it makes us meek, unadventurous, and dull. Case in point: 100% of my current students never went to more then 2 cities in China, 65% still live at home with their parents, 5% admits that they aren't sure whether going abroad is the right choice for them, and 50% will probably never survive on their own anyways.

Hence, I'm glad my father was liberal enough to let me go when I pulled the ropes. Some parents wrap their children so tight they suffocate....at least, I have the freedom to move around.