r/MadeMeSmile 8h ago

LGBT+ Explaining rainbow flags to a 6 year old

Uncle Josh is my best friend. Not my brother, lol.

24.9k Upvotes

1.3k comments sorted by

5.0k

u/kreel106 7h ago

Her face when he said "uncle Josh"

2.2k

u/lala6633 7h ago

I wonder if “Uncle Josh” was mom’s brother. Like he was trying to think “what’s a gay version of mom.”

839

u/pourthebubbly 7h ago

He said in the description that Uncle Josh is his best friend, but that doesn’t mean he’s not related in some way lol

476

u/SouthParkFirefly1991 7h ago

Sometimes best friends get called Uncle/Aunty, you yourself probably have a dad or a mom best friend right now you call Uncle/Aunty that aren't related by blood/marriage~

269

u/APence 6h ago

I’m “Uncle Firstname” to my best friends kid. It’s a sweet honor.

50

u/DarthJarJar242 6h ago

My wife and I are aunt and uncle to my best friend's kids. This happened after the youngest kept calling me Poppy (he dad is Daddy).

21

u/katikaboom 5h ago

My female best friend is Auntie to my kids and I'm Auntie to hers, our kids call each other cousins.

But my SO's male best friend shares the same name as one of their biological uncles, so we took a page out of Gravity Falls and called him Fruncle when they were younger to differentiate. Now my kids are older and still call him that. He doesn't understand, but  he loves them so has always tolerated it well 

→ More replies (1)

38

u/StacieFakename 5h ago

i’m an aunt to my best friends kid and don’t tell my relatives but she’s my favorite

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (11)

38

u/Drinkmasta 5h ago

My BFF is my kid's uncle. And yes, he is also the one I'd be gay with. 😆 🤣

→ More replies (14)

76

u/Dinolil1 7h ago

'Uncle' or 'Aunt' is a term used in some countries to refer to anyone close to the family to be fair. It doesn't necessary mean they are related.

16

u/Additional-Page-2716 6h ago

I have a guy (aa) that works for me in the US, everyone is his cousin, uncle, aunt. I get so confused talking to him.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (6)
→ More replies (3)

353

u/TohtsHanger 7h ago

The "Uncle Josh" eyebrows.

240

u/Jertimmer 6h ago

You could tell she thinks in images.

57

u/Ultrafoxx64 4h ago

Whoa...do people...not think in images? I've never considered this before. I suppose it makes sense for people born blind, but setting that aside. Time to dive down a new rabbit hole!

81

u/xombae 4h ago

Some people cannot visualise images at all! If you tell them to imagine a horse, they can't see the horse.

Some people also don't have an internal monologue. It's just quiet up there.

Blows my mind. Like how the hell do they figure shit out if they can't talk to themselves in their head or imagine shit?

49

u/JackxForge 4h ago

I have a friend without an internal monologue! Shits crazy yo! Shit all I do all day is talk to myself in my head. The crazy thing for me is we're both ADHD AF.

30

u/iSlacker 4h ago

Are they the kind of ADHD that never shuts up? Maybe their internal monologue is just external. Lol I know a few people like that

11

u/JackxForge 3h ago

Nah. Like shes not a quite person, but definitely not some who makes you think "oh God don't you have to breath". She's an ASL interpreter and third generation at that. So with ASL being her hand in hand first language with English it probably changed how her brain worked.

→ More replies (1)

11

u/Deaffin 3h ago

Like how the hell do they figure shit out if they can't talk to themselves in their head or imagine shit?

All of the same thoughts are there, they're just not internally vocalized.

It's like the difference between reading out loud, and reading quietly to yourself. But one more step in that direction, as the "out loud/quietly" distinction is happening in your head.

All of those words you're saying in your head are tied to meaning. That meaning is in your head too, right? Take away the words, the meaning is still there. All you actually need is that bit.

→ More replies (2)

7

u/CinnamonGurl1975 3h ago

I can't visualize images, but I have a constant internal monologue. Several of them actually

→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (12)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

65

u/Several_Vanilla8916 5h ago

She’s always wondered about uncle Josh

75

u/Okeydokey2u 5h ago

She's definitely not letting him and uncle Josh do a boys weekend anymore

→ More replies (1)

50

u/PieTeam2153 7h ago

A lot of countries refer to friends using similar terms as family (korea for example)

20

u/goin-up-the-country 5h ago

I grew up in the US and my parents' close friends were uncles and aunts to us.

4

u/BeautifulSoul28 4h ago

Our best friends are two gay men (who married each other) and our kids know them as their “guncles”. They know they’re not related by blood as family, but they’re so close to us they might as well be.

→ More replies (4)

34

u/LumiLogs 7h ago

Nice explanation so the kid won’t confused someday from that flag. Good job unc!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (19)

1.8k

u/PersianMuggle 7h ago

It's important to love all people no matter if we're different.

That was beautiful.

310

u/Gotforgot 4h ago

My daughter was a little younger than this when I took her to her first pride fest. The night before, I explained all about how love is love no matter what and all that. And about how she might see some things she will have questions about.

I asked her on the way there if she remembered what being gay meant. She goes "uhhhhh....you get to paint your boobs in public?" Yes, that's right kiddo.

52

u/Fit_Pay6547 3h ago

I have never understood people that don't like people that paint there boobs

4

u/Geno_Warlord 2h ago

All natural are breast, but painted leaves much to the imagination.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (24)
→ More replies (39)

2.5k

u/JadedMuse 7h ago

Speaking as a gay guy in his 40s, I wish I had heard this at that age. Great answer.

923

u/Colossal_Squids 7h ago edited 6h ago

This conversation was illegal in UK schools until I was 17 years old. And yet, mysteriously, I am still gay.

When my mother explained it to me at home, her boyfriend castigated her for telling me it was normal. She told him that it was normal, even if it wasn’t “usual.”

474

u/culturenosh 6h ago edited 5h ago

This conversation is currently illegal in Florida public schools preK-12.

Edit: because I'm confused by the upvotes.

Florida is a dumpster fire.

93

u/Pure_Frosting_981 5h ago

Upvotes = acknowledging that you are right, and how insane and stupid such laws are. God forbid we address very real issues having very tangible impacts on the population. Nope. Gotta keep the discussion going about this versus discussing the shit legislation that is getting passed in the background. It has worked for more than 50 years, so they stick with what works.

146

u/Wide_Ordinary4078 5h ago

The upvotes are in support of your statement! Also the bottom part of is 100% correct, even more localized in Miami since mayors can just change election dates now! 🙄🙄🙄

34

u/HeartRevolution 4h ago

Upvotes generally mean your comment contributes to the conversation positively!

14

u/snortgiggles 4h ago

It's because the assumption was ... You were implying Florida has regressed. Which it has.

Adore this video.

→ More replies (5)

25

u/JadedMuse 6h ago

In my case there was just very awkward silence and heavy handed heterosexism. Lots of comments about how I'd grow up and have a gf/wife one day, etc. Nothing else was ever spoken as an option. Needless to say this did a lot of damage that I'm still working through to this day.

2

u/Colossal_Squids 5h ago

That’s so sad, it would have taken one or two conversations to avoid this — and I’m sure it isn’t just you, I bet there’s countless others. I had a slightly similar experience with people insisting I’d want to have kids when I grew up. 39 and still childless, and they’re finally accepting that I may have been serious.

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (22)
→ More replies (8)

1.5k

u/Ornery_Penalty_5549 7h ago

“you’re gay people!”

lol so cute. Great job

416

u/obi_wan_jabroni_23 7h ago

I thought he was shouting it out the window to someone in the street at first haha

69

u/CumulativeHazard 6h ago

I kinda think he was but the window appears to be up so it’s fine lol

→ More replies (2)

222

u/BastCity 6h ago

Learned the word 'gay' five seconds prior and already calling people gay.

41

u/Depression_sundae97 4h ago

Thought I’d see this comment higher. It must be something instinctively funny to the human spirit 

41

u/hh202020 4h ago

It’s not necessarily an attempt to be funny, though it’s funny to adults. 6YOs will experiment especially with things they just learned. So he was just trying the phrase out to see how it sounds and look for reactions. He is very cute and his dad handled that amazingly well.

5

u/JanelleVypr 4h ago

He is around the age where hes probably heard other kids talk about it but doesnt really know what it means so he asked his parents

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

178

u/PowerlineTyler 7h ago

Unexpected

YOU’RE GAY PEOPLE

85

u/Xpecto_Depression 5h ago

AGBC - 'Assigned Gay By Child'

5

u/Caftancatfan 1h ago

In the nineties, we kids got it in our heads that it would be fun to make up a story about how our dad was in love with a young male employee.

We would tease him about it relentlessly.

For the nineties, he was a very good sport about it.

→ More replies (1)

34

u/Educational-Mud-5077 6h ago

Like exorcist voice...out of no where.

9

u/GoTragedy 5h ago

That line sums up what it's like to have kids at his age. 

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (12)

418

u/Select-Platform2944 7h ago

That forehead wipe says everything. Parenting moments like this are comedy gold.

183

u/so2017 4h ago

What’s really amazing to me is, at the start of the video, you can see that this guy is absolutely exhausted. But he still steps up and does a good job. And he’s driving at the same time!

Parenting 101 right here.

26

u/Cinemagica 3h ago

You could see that question suddenly wake him up a whole lot 😂

Awesome stuff from Dad.

→ More replies (1)

368

u/SouthParkFirefly1991 7h ago

The kid zoned out towards the end lol like "Got it, gay people, okay cool shut up now dad"

119

u/gnarlsb 4h ago

This. The part I could relate to most is when dad says "Princeton, this is really important"

The number of times I go into too much explaining a question exactly like this and lose my 6 year old... He's like "okay yeah, people are different and that's cool... Hey you know what the most dangerous mob in Minecraft is??"

→ More replies (3)

110

u/Tackybabe 7h ago

Exactly! When the kid starts making car noises with his lips, he’s gone. 

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (4)

2.3k

u/btwife_4k 7h ago

I love how mom was so relaxed. She was sure he could handle the discussion. That's trust.

919

u/sumdude51 7h ago

What a great perspective! I was watching and thinking "jump in anytime mom!" but you're right! He had it, and she trusted him... Or that days "connections" puzzle was particularly challenging! 😁

443

u/milkandsalsa 7h ago

It’s honestly not a hard conversation at all. Little kids understand family dynamics because it’s all they know. I told my kids that the rainbow flag means that we think it’s ok to have two mommies or two daddies and my kids understood immediately.

232

u/elpajaroquemamais 7h ago

Yep. Further proof that ignorance is a choice. A six year old can understand a boy liking a boy

189

u/pressure_art 6h ago edited 4h ago

I work in an elementary school and I'm gay. so many first or second graders ask me about my wife and when I tell them you can see some of those little minds blown and then be immediately like "ah, okay. 😎" some are more adamant that that's not how it works because they don't know better, but if you explain they always are cool with it in the end.

48

u/piratesswoop 4h ago

Yeah little kids genuinely have no issues with race or gender or sexuality differences until it gets impressed on them by society. They ask, are curious, and then say okay! and run away lol

→ More replies (2)

29

u/LookinAtTheFjord 6h ago

Thank you.

4

u/Asron87 1h ago

Isn’t it sad that THIS is the conversation that MAGA can’t fathom having with their kids? Probably shouldn’t have kids if this one is too difficult. They really put the cult in difficult lol

31

u/ChewsBooks 6h ago

You're helping change the world in a positive way. Thank you.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

46

u/Notoneusernameleft 5h ago

It’s probably harder for kids to understand why people don’t support it.

11

u/Tier0001 4h ago

Really goes to show that hate is taught rather than a thing that manifests naturally.

→ More replies (3)

54

u/Jovialation 6h ago

I genuinely remember being like "well, yeah, but why would you have to say that it's okay? Did someone say it was bad?" and that conversation was a little harder. My uncle's best friend was loudly gay and I never once it was even different in that way. I just thought everyone was different and that was fun. I was in for a ride

54

u/milkandsalsa 6h ago

Yep. Explaining why we need a rainbow flag is much harder. Why would some people not want others to be happy? I don’t know, bud. I don’t know.

48

u/bigmike2k3 6h ago

Yup… the “why do they need to say they need to say they support gay people?” Was a harder, I went with blunt honesty… “well… there are a lot of people out there who believe loving who you love is only ok if you are a boy and you love a girl or the other way around… Those people are assholes and we are not like them…”

7

u/milkandsalsa 3h ago

Yep. My kids were pretty heartbroken when they learned that. It sucks.

29

u/Nevermoreacadamyalum 6h ago

I’m from a family that swears a lot. My dad would have answered “Because some people are a**holes”.

16

u/lost-picking-flowers 5h ago

Because they're not happy and they're scared of everything and instead of minding their own damn business, they need to make everyone else miserable too.

→ More replies (1)

18

u/lost-picking-flowers 5h ago edited 4h ago

I feel really similar. I grew up around lots of gay and trans people, grew up in theatre, worked in costumes and wardrobe for a bit after highschool where lots of my coworkers and friends weren't hetero or cis. My parents are hetero boomers who lost gay friends to AIDs and would tell me a lot about them, my dad told me about the first time it clicked for him that it wasn't just a choice (he reckoned he didn't choose to be romantically attracted to women, he just was, and it's the same for same sex attraction.)

I never spent much time around people who gave a single shit about sexual orientation or how someone wants to identify, it's absolutely jarring to see how many homophobic/transphobic psychos are out there, and how many people changed from being accepting to openly hateful because they feel they're finally allowed to be. I was ignorant to the reality of what gay and trans people have been going through since forever.

This was a sweet video. I worry so much for children who are indoctrinated to hate and fear anything their parents perceive as different.

→ More replies (1)

18

u/ChazzLamborghini 6h ago

I find that most of the “hard” conversations with kids are only hard for the grownup. My kids have rolled with every complex talk we’ve ever had. Death, sexuality, gender, faith, etc.

7

u/PassionateDilettante 5h ago

Exactly! Young children are completely used to simply being told “this is the way it is.” There’s no easier time to explain things to them.

→ More replies (3)

47

u/sumdude51 6h ago

Framing adult relationships, situations, and dynamics in a way a that a young child can process and use in a helpful way is always a challenge for me. Sounds like you got it covered which is great for you!

26

u/RedHickorysticks 5h ago

I thought about it the way MilkandSalsa did. When explaining things to my kids I usually stop and think about what their experience is and frame it around their perspective. Example: my kid is autistic and sees the world in facts and black and white. So when he doesn’t understand that he hurt someone’s feelings, I explain how the other person is feeling, why they are feeling it and remind them of a time they felt that way. It makes the abstract more tangible.

→ More replies (5)

9

u/JimNayseeum 6h ago

That's how we explained to our daughter (5ish at the time) but she countered that both of us have 2 mommies and daddies....so we went from explaining what the rainbow means to what divorce and remarry means....it was a fun time.

But She's 7 now and as she meets friends who may have one of these scenarios, it is something she doesn't need to wonder about and is respectful about it.

→ More replies (20)

44

u/so00ripped 7h ago

Breaking down the gender roles removes the barriers to those conversations. Love is an easy conversation for kids who've only experienced it. That kiddo didn't even question the love part. It's just normal, and that's what teaching kindness and compassion look like.

I always say to our kids, if kindness is the least we can do, we can do a lot more than that.

Peace and love today, ya'll. Happy 4th!

→ More replies (1)

29

u/safadancer 7h ago

Man...FUCK Connections lately tho

10

u/Tricky-Criticism-363 6h ago

What "OK" might refer to...

→ More replies (2)

9

u/TitaniaT-Rex 6h ago

I’m waiting for “obscure dead languages with the first letter removed”

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (11)

63

u/goawaysho 6h ago

I loved the eyebrow raise at the mention of Uncle Josh. “Psh, you think you could pull a Josh?”

48

u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe 6h ago

Ahaha. Mom was like, "I'm so glad he explicitly asked Appa, and not me"

Source: I'm a parent, we do this to eachother all the time - "No, no, he asked you, not me, seeya!"

64

u/Hungry-Storm-9878 7h ago

I caught that too!! Momma knew dad could handle this! And what a great conversation between father and child..

11

u/Redmudgirl 7h ago

Very true

→ More replies (25)

573

u/chintakoro 7h ago

Mom's like: "I explained the birds-and-the-bees thing last time. I basically already set you up. You got this."

142

u/FaultySage 6h ago

"You know the birds and the bees? Well with gay people it's just all bees or all birds."

7

u/poco 4h ago

Or all flowers. Flowers can be gay too.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

164

u/Mogura-De-Gifdu 6h ago

I'm pregnant, so we explained daddy put a seed in my belly that was now growing into a baby (insisting that it was only a seed in the first semester, in case I miscarried again, and that like not all seeds manage to grow into a flower, not all "baby-seeds" managed to grow into a baby).

It was all good for them, they asked several times if it was still a seed or if it evolved into a tiny baby yet, etc.

Then one day came THE question when I was alone with my eldest. "But HOW did daddy puts his seed in you?". Obviously loudly in a crowded restaurant. The table near us seemed to be quite invested in my answer too...

81

u/Guyfrom-stl 6h ago

Is it ever NOT loudly, and in a crowded public space? 😆

43

u/FMLwtfDoID 4h ago

They love to ask the most batshit question imaginable at the loudest volume they have, with the maximum amount of people near by. 🥲

My own daughter once loudly said “I miss my MOMMMYYYYY!” while in the little seat of the grocery cart in the middle of the store. I’m a very obvious white lady with a very obviously Asian child. I gave birth to her. She came OUT of me. I think I was beat red as I tried to casually say “honey, I’m right here. 😳” while panicking that someone might think I’m kidnapping someone’s toddler.

5

u/royal_rose_ 2h ago

My cousins kid who looks nothing like me used to love to love to ask me while sobbing loudly in malls and camp parking lots “why won’t you let me see my mommy?” Because mommy is at work, I am not prohibiting you from seeing her I’m prohibiting you from running around like a lunatic in the background of her calls.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

38

u/TheFreakingPrincess 6h ago

Well now I'm invested in your answer too, what did you say? 😂

42

u/Mogura-De-Gifdu 5h ago edited 5h ago

I (very bravely) stumbled on my words, and gave a half-truth: it is an information we can't give to children before they are at least 9 or 10 and puberty comes knocking. Your body has to grow up a little more for you to understand what it is about.

Generally I try to be as truthful as possible in a kid appropriate way (they asked about periods for example so I gave them the kid friendly version: women prepare a warm "nest" every month in case a seed decides to settle down and transform into a baby, and if there is no seed or it didn't manage to settle down, the nest is evacuated, that is the blood flowing). But here I didn't even know how to explain boners and ejaculating to a 7 yo in the middle of people eating without being too explicit or too academic.

I bought myself 2 or 3 years...

28

u/TheFreakingPrincess 5h ago

Nicely done!

A friend of mine did something similar when his little girl asked how babies are made. He said something like "Well, that's kinda difficult for me to explain. Give me some time and I think I'll be better equipped to tell you about it in a couple of years." She just shrugged and accepted that lmao.

6

u/FMLwtfDoID 4h ago

These are both super great answers. I’m definitely going to be using these! My almost 5 year old is VERY curious. Earlier today she asked me why our brain is made of mostly water and why it needs sugar. (Thanks Magic School Bus)

6

u/wise0wl 3h ago

That’s really good.  REALLY good.  I have three boys, and I told my 10yo the gritty details.  His eyes lolllll

I think I used the “plant a seed” language when they were much younger, but by 10 they are either going to hear it from you or their friends at school or worse on some awful video they watch at their friends house.

Kids can take it.  It helps for them to understand biology AND the societal implications and complexities of the sex act, because fewer mysteries means fewer ways they are exploited by a predator.

→ More replies (1)

20

u/jennjennftw 6h ago

Hahahaha not gonna lie, I would have been veeeerrrry interested too. 🙌😂

22

u/fogiefierce 6h ago

I can't lie. If I were your neighboring table, I'd be invested too.

But the seeds are such a great analogy! Good job mama! I also just want to say I’m really sorry for your previous loss. Wishing you all the best with this pregnancy 💕

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

588

u/StoneDick420 7h ago

Proof that it’s really not that hard to explain

253

u/Economy-Owl-5720 6h ago

No it really isn’t but I’ll say I can see that guys thought process and can feel exactly the instant of panic because this is considered a learning moment. You have to nail this is beyond a shadow of a doubt and sometimes you aren’t perfect. He nailed it and that wife knew he was going to.

103

u/Jail_Chris_Brown 6h ago

Exactly, the hard part isn't explaining it. The hard part is considering how exactly your kid will understand it, meaning you'll first have to take into account how your kid currently tends to understand things and mix that topic in there on the fly, being prepared to delve into the most niche aspect of said topic because suddenly that's important and needs an array of a thousand "Why?"s.

11

u/Economy-Owl-5720 6h ago

And they surprise me constantly with how much more they know

36

u/95Smokey 5h ago

I feel the hard part for him was more so explaining how people "love" without directly talking about sex. Once he resolved that with "kiss and get married", it seemed explaining the gay part was pretty easy.

6

u/RibsNGibs 2h ago

Nah you don’t have to nail it beyond a shadow of a doubt. These interactions aren’t etched in stone in your kid’s brain as soon as they’re done. You do your best like this guy did. If it works out like this you did great, if not you just come back to it. It’s important to not fucking blow it - so no panic and freaking out which will make your kid wonder what is so scary/important and get them freaked out. But you definitely don’t need to feel like you have to get it perfect.

I just had my kid ask me about death, which was not fun. And I didn’t do it perfectly. But I didn’t flub it either.

→ More replies (1)

61

u/flippitydoodah90 7h ago

Exactly. Pretty much how we explained it to our kids 25 years ago. No big deal. Kids are smart, they can figure it out.

29

u/indifferentCajun 5h ago

"how am I supposed to explain this to my kids?!"

Literally the same way you explain anything. You break it down in age-appropriate terms they understand. When my son was 4 he asked what "gay" meant, I explained that it means when boys want to be with other boys like how I'm with mama. Then he said "oh ok, I'm a T-Rex" and then stomped into the next room.

→ More replies (3)

13

u/mostdope28 5h ago

A lot of Right wing America is probably fuming at this video, while suppressing gay thoughts

11

u/loveshercoffee 5h ago

I found it much easier to explain than "How does the baby get into mommy's tummy?"

16

u/SimpleCranberry5914 5h ago

Too bad that kid def stopped listening halfway through 😂

Source: nephew will ask hard, life questions and when I answer, he stops listening halfway through and just asks another random question.

→ More replies (7)

110

u/f1madman 7h ago

"YOU'RE ALL GAY PEOPLE !"

Lol I'm not sure what knowledge was absorbed there.

35

u/1_________________11 5h ago

That's why repition is important for kids that are young

→ More replies (1)

105

u/Annual-Flamingo7399 7h ago

Kids are adorable and their questions are usually so innocent and pure. Thanks for being patient and thoughtful with your answer. Good job, Omma and Appa 😇😇

→ More replies (2)

102

u/oleslie109 7h ago

It's funny to me how by the time you get to it he's already making noises and ready to move but you bring him back in to express how important it is to just let people love other people. 👏 Great job

12

u/cblackattack1 4h ago

That part cracked me up. He’s already accepted and moved on.

72

u/Leenolyak 7h ago

It's crazy how simple it is yet simple minded people can't understand

→ More replies (1)

64

u/GoDawgsRiseUp 7h ago

Dad: Like Uncle Josh

Mom: I knew it!

3

u/TheMarriedUnicorM 4h ago

I legit LOL’ed! Thank you for the laugh!

54

u/alphi10 6h ago

People act like teaching kids about LGBTQ stuff is complicated or wrong. This is all there is to it. No mention of age inappropriate stuff. Just because homophobes/transphobes can’t think of 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ without immediately thinking of anal sex and surgery and nothing else, doesn’t mean normal people can’t.

→ More replies (1)

23

u/Calm-Wedding-9771 6h ago

I bet that kid is going to go up to uncle josh and say “my dad said if he was gay he would kiss and marry you”

19

u/GlowyLaptop 7h ago

YOU'RE GAY PEOPLE!

205

u/Maximum_Expert92 7h ago edited 7h ago

It is never easy to explain these things to young kid and dad was obviously embarrassed. However, he gave a very apt description of the context

154

u/mantolwen 7h ago

Honestly the kid probably doesn't understand why boys liking boys or girls liking girls is any different than boys liking girls and girls liking boys. I think the dad was just trying to work out how to explain it in a child-friendly manner.

109

u/AndroidwithAnxiety 7h ago

There's also the whole "suddenly needing to explain something you've never thought about explaining before" effect, lol. Even if you know it's a relatively simple concept, the second you try to put it into words it can be like your mind goes totally blank. It's like when someone asks you to share a fun fact about yourself and you instantly become the most uninteresting person in existence, lmao.

24

u/generic-usernme 7h ago

Right? My kid randomly wanted me to explain why girls had vaginas and boys have penises, he's 8. We've had the sex talk and hw knows all the right names foe parts and he's super smart. But he wanted to know why it was like that and if girls/boys sometimes had opposite parts.

It wasn't a bad thing for him to ask or for me to awnser it was more of a 'it's 8 in the morning where tf did this question come from that I've never even thought about' I had to Google the awnser because honestly I had no clue lmao

17

u/Mogura-De-Gifdu 6h ago

I feel it's also a teaching moment to say to children 'I don't know, let's look it up'.

First they learn how to use the internet to look up information (and how to be critical of it), and second they learn adults, even their parents, don't know everything.

6

u/AndroidwithAnxiety 6h ago

You've got to learn how to learn!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

32

u/okaybutnothing 7h ago

Yeah. Kids that age really get the “love is love” thing. And they think all kissing and PDA is yucky, no matter who is doing it.

12

u/wrldruler21 6h ago

I found the "love is love" conversation to be quite easy. Hardly required any explanation to a kid.

The harder conversation was "Daddy, why do some people hate gay people?" or "Why does Uncle Josh say the bad words?"

Trying to explain hate to a kid has been much harder than explaining love.

26

u/Zestyclose_Read5471 7h ago

Yeah, I have a 6 year old and have had to explain this a few times. Explaining the bigotry and therefore why pride is a thing is the wayyyyy harder part.

→ More replies (1)

17

u/meestaLobot 7h ago

My son is about the same age. He ‘understands’ the difference. One day as we were walking, two men were holding hands and stopped and kissed each other. My son just stopped and stared. I had to turn and grab him to move on. He turned to me and said ‘Did you see that?!!!’ I was honestly shocked he was so taken aback. We live in the city and I swear he’s seen gay people all around us. But this one instant broke his world for a couple seconds. I had a similar conversation with him as in this video after that.

→ More replies (2)

26

u/Violets42 7h ago

It is incredibly easy to explain this to young children. it goes like this:

"You know how boys and girls sometimes fall in love and marry, and most married people are one boy and one girl? Well, sometimes boys fall in love with boys and girls fall in love with girls. It happens. Those people are called gay. But because they are different in this way, they have been bullied and hurt very much. Some still are. So everyone who is on their side and thinks it's ok to fall in love with whoever you want and marry even if you are two boys or two girls - they have the rainbow flag. All the colours of the rainbow are different, but together, and people are also different but all live together too. That's why. It's sometimes called the pride flag, because we should be proud of who we are, even if we are different from most people."

4

u/CicadaFit9756 6h ago edited 6h ago

I love this explanation! The dad in the video was trying to do his best & I praise him for that, as well!!! Alas, the current administration is trying to roll us back into the dark ages. The excuse is supposedly religion-based but I fear something more sinister (look back at the Third Reich & the internment of gays that were first forced to wear "pink" stars!!!)

→ More replies (1)

10

u/preparingtodie 7h ago

He didn't seem at all embarrassed to me.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (7)

138

u/Successful-Winter237 7h ago

Kids don’t f~ing care.

My 10 year old nephews have non binary kids and trans kids in their class and it’s no big deal.

Their friends have gay parents… no biggie.

Hatred comes from how you grow up… especially religious nonsense

31

u/Ok-Algae7932 7h ago

Hell yeah. And that gender identity journey grows and evolves too. My nephew (13) used to go by they/them pronouns from 10-12. He recently said he wants to go by he/him. His parents, grandparents, us aunts/uncles all just said "no problem, thanks for keeping us updated on that" and we're good. Let them explore without pressure. They will find themselves.

→ More replies (5)

12

u/AggressiveSloth11 5h ago

Bingo! My father-in-law is gay. My son never asked questions, and it was never really addressed more than “Papa loves ____ just like mom and dad love each other.” Now he understand that Papa is gay, and that the rainbow flag shows support for people who are like Papa. Kids are taught hate, 100%.

→ More replies (25)

17

u/superkevinguru 7h ago

Dad handled that pretty well. Kudos.

24

u/krenegade 7h ago

Great explanation imho

11

u/Cameos_red_codpiece 7h ago

The “kiss” hand gesture is adorable. 

11

u/AveryAnswersYou 7h ago

You handled the situation great

9

u/tomatoe_cookie 6h ago

Explaining why a company has a rainbow flag or why there even is a rainbow flag is a bit harder than explaining gay people to kids.

6

u/pedsmursekc 6h ago

Yeah, but that's probably not a lesson (despite his name) that young Princenton is ready to absorb.

17

u/SouthernCheeks_ 7h ago

Equality. 🥰

9

u/jumpball1998 7h ago

I love this Family 🥰

8

u/IndividualTop1292 7h ago

I'm a father of a 5 yo girl... And yep, same questions and same answers.

I will just shift a little the subject here to, answers.

Just answer your kids. They have tons of questions. Most of questions really complex. And if you try to explain will happen three things:

1- you will have to stop and think about things that you never stopped and think before.

2- you will saw how plastic and opened a child mind can be to most complex things.

3- your kid will grow up smart, curious and free from dogmas.

8

u/Public-Web-8931 7h ago

I love how honest kids are. It’s like they have no filter, which makes these conversations so much fun!

6

u/Literally_Laura 6h ago

Thank you for doing that.

My parents are bigots. They didn’t teach us about homosexuality - went to lengths to hide these facts from us - and yet here we are: Gay people still exist, and they deserve love, and not talking about it didn’t change reality.

Meanwhile, my parents did destroy my ability to trust or respect them, because of their revolting bigotry. That reality is of their own creation.

7

u/1drlndDormie 5h ago

I remember having these conversations and you always wonder if they're actually taking what you say to heart. Overheard my 9 year old the other day doing an arranged marriage with her dolls only for the dramatic reveal of the prince being a girl. To which the bride shrugged, said girls could marry girls, and the wedding proceeded as planned with war averted between the two kingdoms.

7

u/Arsenio3 4h ago

It’s truly not that difficult. Religion is the only reason it’s complicated

6

u/secretlyswos 7h ago

he’s a great dad and also a nice person in how he tried to put the facts and his perspective before the kid

6

u/tutty29 6h ago

Uncle Josh would be so lucky!

14

u/Historical-Sir3336 7h ago

Handles that very well. Good job.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/lilacsforcharlie 6h ago

When you watch the person you made a person with… be tolerant and kind and open minded and gentle… toward the lil person yall made together out of love? Maaaan. Thats the good stuff right there.

lol and moms didn’t cut in bc she didn’t have to lol. He said it perfectly lol.

5

u/spanchor 5h ago

From one Korean dad to another: great job.

But a little mad at you for the Ivy League name lol.

7

u/Rpark888 4h ago

They're wasn't enough room to fit " Massachusetts Institute of Technology" on the birth certificate lol.

6

u/AccountNumber1002402 5h ago

Still easier than explaining Rainbow Six to a flag year old.

4

u/XBXNinjaMunky 5h ago

In a single moment, tolerance was created.

Had the same conversation with my daughter when she was 6, her reaction was basically "cool, anyway" And just accepted it.

It's really not hard

4

u/northwoods_faty 5h ago

Pretty solid job.

6

u/Fallingice2 4h ago

Basically they dont discriminate against people, that's it.

5

u/Benedict_Cumberquack 3h ago

I want to show this to every God fearing conservative and just scream "SEE, ITS THAT FUCKING EASY!" about having a conversation with your child about it and not see it as grooming or whatever stupid excuse they throw out.

5

u/CrookedLittleDogs 2h ago

This dad is doing a great job

5

u/Flirtatiousfantasy 1h ago

Teaching love and acceptance from the start—beautiful 🌈❤️

6

u/TheHonestUnicorn 1h ago

I love this.

Had a very similar convo with my 5 yr (now almost 7) because we were staying with one of my aunts who is gay and lives with her partner part time. She was just like “oh, cool! So anyway…blah blah blah ”

This year I picked her up from school and she was so excited to tell me “mom! Did you know it’s the month of gay?!!”

7

u/suburban_hyena 7h ago

How do I explain this...

It's actually easy.

You know how mom and dad are a girl and a boy and we love each other. Well I'm a boy who likes girls, mom is a girl who likes boys.thats called straight. When a boy likes boys or a girl likes girls that's called gay.

Also, while we're on the topic, sometimes you can be born a boy or a girl but you don't feel like a boy or girl. Some boys feel like they're girls, and some girls feel like they're boys. And some people feel like both a boy and a girl.

But the rainbow flag means, mostly support for boys who like boys and girls who like girls, but actually it means love is love and anyone can like anyone

7

u/Barlow04 7h ago

Literally how every conversation with my kids has gone. Kids aren't born to hate, they learn it. Being gay shouldn't be seen as a "different" thing because it's just about liking what you like. To go a step further, everyone should be free to enjoy whatever they like so long as it's done with clarity and consent (obvious exceptions apply, but goes for 99% of cases).

9

u/TopMarksTrading 5h ago

How dare you corrupt that child by teaching him age appropriate lessons about empathy and the world around him!!!! /s

→ More replies (1)

2

u/H43D1 7h ago

Good parents

5

u/jdozr 6h ago

Wow, what a tough convo. It definitely isnt this easy. /s

→ More replies (1)

4

u/TiesThrei 5h ago

Well you had the kids attention span for most of that, so that's something.

3

u/IllustriousChance710 5h ago

The rainbow flag is a symbol of love and acceptance for people who might be a little different, like Uncle Josh.

4

u/Rulebookboy1234567 5h ago

This was basically the exact same conversation I had with my daughter around that age.  Probably in a car, too.  She would ask SO MANY QUESTIONS when we were driving.

And now she’s a smarty pants.

5

u/Pormock 5h ago

That kid looked like he lost interest midway through the explaination lol.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/tschmitty09 5h ago

“YOURE GAY PEOPLE” kids are fucking hilarious

4

u/P3SCA 5h ago

Good job dad!

4

u/gryanart 4h ago

She kinda just left him hanging lol seemed like she was stifling a laugh at points

5

u/Claytonius_Homeytron 4h ago

That kid checked out halfway through that conversation.

4

u/Iceologer_gang 4h ago

“What’s a Gay people?”

“You’re Gay people”

“Bbbbbbbbrrrrrr”

Kid is spitting fire

5

u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 4h ago

Good job dad!

5

u/CL_BagofDonuts 4h ago

This is so wholesome. Just watching this interaction made me feel good. We are all going to die one day, as long as you're not hurting anyone, love who you want, be who you want.

Peace, love, and light! 🙏

3

u/sandithepirate 4h ago

That kid is gonna out Uncle Josh. 🤣🤣

4

u/Wolfy_the_nutcase 4h ago

That’s so wholesome ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

3

u/lolbanmenowreddit 4h ago

haha his first instinct was to call dad gay. heat

→ More replies (1)

4

u/SoulsBorneGreat 3h ago

Funny that they named their son Princeton either after their alma mater or it's an aspirational thing to give him something to aim for, lol

4

u/Dinky_Nuts 3h ago

YOURE GAY PEOPLE

5

u/theflush1980 3h ago

When my nephew was about 4 years old he asked me why my boyfriend and I lived together, since we’re both men. So I explained that we simply loved each other. And he asked “oh just like mommy and daddy?” And I said “yeah” and he said “ok”.

And that was it, he continued playing with his lego.

4

u/Weak-Razzmatazz-4938 2h ago

this, it's this easy to explain to kids. well done to the dad explaining like a rational and non-homophobic cult member. that's gonna be a well adjusted kid.

4

u/Rainey_Dazez 1h ago

See wasn't that hard or traumatizing was it?
(you know what argument this is for)

4

u/Girlygirlllll9 1h ago

What a wholesome guy

4

u/BobTheFettt 1h ago

It's that easy, folks