Kids make us fabulous

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

We had these friends in California with a papered cocker spaniel. She was the center of their universe. Overall, she was a really good dog, albeit rather hyperactive with a tendency to pee whenever someone rang the doorbell. Oh yeah, and she once also threw up in our car.

Eventually, the guys decided to breed her, and they were really excited about the thought of little paws running around their house. When she finally gave birth to her first litter of puppies, we called to offer our best wishes. Eric’s mom answered the phone and told us that mother and babies were all doing well and that giving birth seemed to have mellowed out the dog. Then she added philosophically, “There’s nothing like becoming a mother to make a girl into a woman.” We were talking about a cocker spaniel, folks.

But it’s true. I mean not the part about giving birth making girls into women – that was just weird. It’s true that kids change who you are for better and for worse. In my opinion, for LGBTQ parents, kids make us even more fabulous than we already were. And I’m not alone in this thought: I asked other gay parents to share why their kids make them fabulous, here’s what they had to say.

Megan, mom to Tori and Kennedy – “My kids make me fabulous because they remind me of how to be patient, kind, and above all else to love with my whole heart.”

Mateo Glen, dad of Evalina and Simon – “They inspire courage in me to live and love authentically. At just 10-years old, my daughter told me, ‘Daddy, I will love whoever you choose to love!’”

Kori, mom of Chase, Kennedy, Beau, and Brady – “Our kids make us fabulous by their kindness and love for each other, and by supporting our love.”

Peaches, dad of Nick and Linus – “The boys have made me a fabulously exhausted heavy drinker who never gets laid, LOL!”

Kelly, dad to Gus and Niko – “Our sons make me laugh and introduce me to situations that I otherwise wouldn’t ever experience.”

Cristy, mom of Glory – “My daughter makes me fabulous because she is the light of my heart. She makes me laugh and her love fills me more than I could have ever imagined. I share Glory with her other mother and my world is completely different when she is not with me. As soon as she comes home, I can feel a huge shift in my soul – feels just like home.”

Stefani, also the mom of Chase, Kennedy, Beau, and Brady – “Our kids make us fabulous by being ‘pains in our asses’ and by treating others the way we have raised them. We’re pretty proud of that!”

Adam, dad of Dillon, Ethan, and Cambria – “The kids make me fabulously frazzled trying to remember all their various activities and school projects. I am also fabulously ‘lit’ according to my oldest’s friends because I’m gay.”

Weston and Brandon, the dads of Xander and Zoe – “Our son and daughter make us see the world with a whole new perspective and challenge us to be more patient and understanding every day.” Ruby and Michelle – “Our daughter makes us fabulously tired! (So much so that our ‘date nights’ are actually in the afternoon!)”

And then there’s me, Christopher, also dad to Gus and Niko – “Our sons challenge me every day to be patient, to be understanding, and to see the world in a different light. They make me fabulous just by calling me ‘dad’.”

Eric’s mom was right, being a parent does change you. Kids make parents fabulous. And maybe dogs do too.