When a mom or dad discovers a major secret about their kid, it’s only natural for the parent to want to dig deeper and even confront their child about it. But things can get pretty awkward or even risky in the relationship if the child is an adult. That said, a traditional, 62-year-old Oklahoma father was attending church when he heard from a friend that his 24-year-old son was “romantically involved with another man.” Posting the story of what happened on Reddit, the dad stated, “In the end, I decided it’d be best to address it directly with him.”
Living in a conservative part of the US, the church-attending father admitted that he never really discussed sexuality with his children. Yet, the older father brought himself to confront his son and tell him that he knew he was gay. Luckily, the conversation went down fairly well: “After his initial shock he hugged me and told me he appreciated it,” the parent recalled. The dad claimed his goal was to tell his son that he needn’t hide his sexuality from him and he just “wants him to find the happiness I had with his mother, whatever form that takes.”
However, the son’s sister, who is two years older, criticized her Oklahoma father after she realized what had happened. “She told me I’d made a big mistake. She said I ambushed him, and worse still robbed him of the opportunity to come out to me in his own time.” Despite the son not showing any signs of being upset with the dad, she was more than confident that her brother was not happy. Confused, the 64-year-old now wonders, “AITAH for telling my son I know he is gay?“
The post’s top commenter suggested sending the son a heartfelt message to put the dad’s mind at ease. The text would read that he’s sorry for putting his son on the spot, but loves him regardless. “I would also remind your daughter that it is not her place to decide what your son should or shouldn’t get,” another user added. Other gay people in the comments chimed in, saying that coming out can be very difficult, so a parent acknowledging the “secret” and accepting their child afterward is more than a relief to hear.
In the end, the father admitted that he would just go to his son directly to clear things up about how he felt. Whether he made a mistake or not about confronting his son doesn’t matter too much; when a dad cares this much about an aspect of his child, it shows he’s a great parent.
