Worried Stepmother
It’s my first time using this or reaching out for any advice on this subject. I am concerned about some things going on with my stepson. I have been in his life for almost 7 years (he just turned 14). His father has sole custody, but because of his work, my husband’s mother has had him for months at a time all his life. He stays with us when his father is home, but stays with her when he is gone. He did stay with me for a little bit when he was younger and we became very close. I do feel his grandmother interfered with our relationship because she is overly possessive of him. The thing that is concerning me is; about a year ago, my stepson came to me and asked me “what I would do/think if he were gay”? I was beyond shocked and ill prepared for the conversation. I am a Christian, so there is a matter of it being against my personal beliefs. I told him exactly what I thought; I love him and there is nothing in the world that could change that. I told him I wanted to be there for him with whatever he needed. I found out a few days later that he had been chatting with someone online and some of the material was pretty explicit. One message (out of hundreds) was about how to shave his private area and how to be a “bottom”. I didn’t want to tell his grandmother about our conversation, but he refused to stay here until I could get us into counseling to make sure he wasn’t a victim of a sexual predator. I told him why he had to tell his grandmother and let him choose on telling her so he could be monitored or stay with me until we could get counseling. Due to my limited online rules, etc… he chose to tell her. I made him an appointment with a psychiatrist that did observe the messages and talked to him and felt that both parties were equally responsible for the conversations and he was not being victimized. His grandmother and father refuse to believe he is gay and have not gotten any type of counseling for him. Right before school let out, some kids noticed that my stepson was shaving his legs and being “touchy” with another male student. I asked him about his feelings and he said he still felt attracted to males. I have not told anyone about that conversation, because I do not want to betray his trust. A few days ago, his grandmother said she had a talk with him and he told her he did not have those feelings anymore. He knows his grandmother and father will be devastated if they know he is gay and I feel he is lying to her. My biological son is in the same grade as my stepson and mentioned to me that the majority of junior high students at their school have come to him and asked if his step brother is gay. I have not mentioned anything to my son throughout this whole thing and will not discuss it with him in the house. It seems that my stepson may be exhibiting behavior that others consider “homosexual behavior”. I am worried about my stepson because he has stopped caring about his grades and spends 95% of his time in his room and on some type of online entertainment. When I went over for his birthday, he didn’t even come out to eat with everyone. He actually failed 2 subjects last year. He is a super smart kid and used to be an A and B student ! I am so worried about him being depressed. I am fine with him trying to figure out his feelings, but it’s going way beyond that. So what would you do? Side note: his mother gave up her rights so there is nothing to explore there and I am the only mother he has ever had. I cringed writing stepson, but I didn’t want to use his name.
As a mother of three, I understand being 14 can be a difficult time in a teen’s life. I also understand how difficult it is, as a parent, when a child comes out to you as homosexual. I am happy to hear that your stepson has not been a victim of an assault, as confirmed by the counselor. What advice did the counselor give to you and your family? Was the information given useful to you? I have learned a great deal about the LGBTQ+ community since my child has come out. One of the most common concerns in the community is acceptance, especially acceptance by parents and close family members. Each of us needs the love and support of family, kids and adults. Based on what you've mentioned about his grades and lack of family interaction, what do you think is the root cause of his struggles?
The counselor basically said he could not gather enough information from him to have a proper assessment. He will not open up to anybody about anything. That is one reason I was so shocked. I could not believe he actually came to me with this in the beginning. He has seen 2 different types of counselors since this and he refused to talk to both. I feel a lot of his struggles come from feeling different and not knowing how to handle it. He used to be extremely social or at least compared to how he is now. I never see him talking to anybody and he always looks sad. His grandmother and father thinks it is just a phase and maybe it is, but I would like everyone to be in a good place if it’s not. He did tell me that he could never “come out” while he lived here due to the area and his family. I couldn’t list all the things I feel could be the root of his struggles, but his grandmother seems to believe it’s because his mom left him. I’m at the point where I am scared he is going to just accept misery. I saw him on the 4th and it was 90 degrees and it was a swimming/fishing event and he was wearing jeans. I am pretty sure this was his way of hiding the fact he shaves his legs. If you have any group you could recommend that I could ask questions and maybe get some advice on what I should do I would really appreciate it. Or if anybody on here has any advice that would be great. Does anybody have any thoughts on whether or not he is gay based on the information I have given? Could he be going through a phase? I have another kid a few months younger and I do not see any similarities (besides too much screen time) between the two.
Let him be. He seems perfectly normal.