Check Your Child’s Sleep Before You Worry About Behaviour

If your child is struggling with behaviour, big emotions or focus, sleep is the first place to look. In this video Donna explains how tiredness shows up as “bad behaviour”, the signs that sleep is the real issue, and what to change first.

Parenting Teens | What It Was Like Feeling Different

In this deeply personal episode of The Parenting Collective Podcast, Donna Moala and her daughter Eloise share their journey through teenage mental health struggles, coming out and family acceptance. Discover how conscious parenting, unconditional love and open communication helped them navigate challenges, rebuild connection and create a safe space for Eloise to be her authentic self.

Key Takeaways

  • Parenting teens requires connection, understanding and unconditional love rather than control.
  • Supporting your teenager’s mental health starts with listening, emotional safety and seeking professional help when needed.
  • Coming out can feel frightening for LGBTQ+ teenagers, even when they grow up in loving and accepting families.
  • Conscious parenting encourages us to recognise our own fears, triggers and expectations rather than placing them on our children.
  • Teenagers need to feel accepted for who they are, not who we expect them to become.
  • Healthy boundaries and open communication help build trust as teenagers become more independent.
  • Parents don’t need to be perfect. Being willing to listen, reflect, apologise and grow can strengthen the parent-child relationship.
  • It’s never too late to change how we parent, rebuild connection and create a safer space for our children to be themselves.

Chapters

Parenting Teens: Coming Out, Mental Health and the Power of Unconditional Love

Parenting teens can be one of the most challenging and rewarding stages of family life. As our children grow, they begin discovering who they are, navigating friendships, exploring relationships and developing their own identity. Sometimes this journey includes struggles that, as parents, we never imagined facing.

In this deeply personal episode of The Parenting Collective Podcast, I sit down with my daughter Eloise to share our family’s experience of teenage mental health struggles, coming out, acceptance and the incredible power of unconditional love.

This is our story, told from both a mother’s and daughter’s perspective, with the hope that other families feel less alone.

Parenting Teens Through Mental Health Challenges

When Your Teenager Is Struggling

During her high school years, Eloise experienced significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Watching your child struggle while feeling unsure how to help is incredibly difficult.

As parents, we naturally want to fix things, protect our children and make everything better.

But what I’ve learned through lived experience and conscious parenting is that our teenagers don’t always need us to fix their problems.

Sometimes they need us to listen, understand and simply be there.

Professional mental health support is also essential when a teenager is experiencing serious depression or suicidal thoughts. Connection at home matters, but families do not have to navigate these challenges alone.

Coming Out to Parents: Creating Emotional Safety

Eloise Shares Her Experience

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation is Eloise sharing her experience of realising she was gay and eventually coming out to our family.

Even though we considered ourselves an open and loving family, Eloise still worried about how we would react.

Would we see her differently? Would we still accept her?

Hearing this perspective reminds us that what feels obvious to a parent isn’t always what a teenager experiences.

A child can know they are loved while still feeling frightened about sharing something deeply personal.

How Parents Can Support Their LGBTQ+ Child

If your teenager comes out to you, one of the most meaningful things you can offer is reassurance that your love and support haven’t changed.

Listen without judgment, respect their privacy and allow them to share their experience in their own time.

Your child doesn’t need to manage your emotions or reassure you about their identity.

They need to know that home is a place where they can be themselves.

Conscious Parenting: Moving From Control to Connection

Learning to Parent Differently

Throughout this conversation, I reflect on how much my husband Dave and I have changed as parents.

We once approached many parenting decisions through traditional expectations, rules and concerns about what others might think.

But raising three very different daughters challenged us to reconsider those patterns.

Conscious parenting helped me recognise when my own fears, expectations and triggers were influencing how I responded.

Instead of always asking how to get our children to behave differently, I began asking what I needed to understand or change within myself.

This didn’t mean abandoning boundaries.

It meant learning how to guide our children with respect, connection and a willingness to keep growing.

Supporting Teenagers While Respecting Their Independence

As teenagers become young adults, our role as parents begins to shift.

We move from making every decision for them towards mentoring, guiding and helping them develop their own judgment.

In this episode, Eloise and I share some of the funny, uncomfortable and honest family conversations we’ve experienced around relationships, independence and fairness.

There have been mistakes, difficult discussions and plenty of learning along the way.

But remaining open to our children’s perspectives has helped us develop stronger connections.

Acceptance, Connection and the Importance of Being Yourself

Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of Eloise’s story is seeing her become comfortable with who she is.

She reflects on how difficult it was to feel different during high school and how important it became to find people who accepted her.

As her mum, watching her rebuild her confidence and enjoy her relationships has meant so much.

Our children need opportunities to discover their identity without feeling that they must become someone else to earn our love.

Listen to The Parenting Collective Podcast

This episode is an honest conversation about parenting teens, LGBTQ+ acceptance, teenage mental health and the changes we’ve made as a family.

If you’re raising a teenager who is struggling, questioning their identity or finding it difficult to connect with you, I hope our conversation reminds you that change and connection are possible.

You don’t need to be a perfect parent. You need to remain willing to listen, learn and support your child.

Need Support With Your Teenager?

I’m Donna Moala, Certified Conscious Parenting Coach and founder of Parenting Collective.

If you’re struggling to connect with your teenager, navigating challenging behaviour or wanting to change old parenting patterns, I’d love to help.

Book your FREE 15-minute parenting chat at

You and your teenager deserve to feel supported, understood and connected.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of depression and suicidal thoughts. If you or your child needs urgent help in Australia, call 000 in an emergency or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

But, I think if you can stay connected to your children even when they feel very disconnected to you, just even a message, you know, I’m here for you. Donna  17:28
⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of mental health, depression, suicidal ideation and coming out. Please listen with care. In this powerful episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, host Donna Moala sits down with her daughter Eloise for an honest mother daughter conversation about mental health, sexuality, identity and conscious parenting. Eloise shares her lived experience with ADHD, anxiety, severe depression, suicidal ideation, and the challenges of growing up feeling different. Together, Donna and Eloise discuss the journey of realising she is gay, coming out during high school, masking, people, pleasing, and the fear of being judged, even within a loving family. This episode explores: Teen mental health and suicidal ideation – ADHD, anxiety, and depression in adolescents.  Coming out as LGBTQ+ and navigating identity. The impact of masking and people-pleasing. How conscious parenting supports connection and healing, Parental adjustment, grief, and inner work,  Creating safety for children to be their authentic selves Donna reflects on how parenting through mental health crises required letting go of control, fear, and societal expectations and how conscious parenting helped the family stay connected through the hardest years. Eloise speaks openly about finding self-acceptance, building supportive friendships, and learning to trust herself after years of hiding who she was. This conversation is for:  Parents of teens struggling with mental health.  Parents navigating their child coming out as LGBTQ+.   Families wanting to parent with connection, not control.  Young people who feel unseen or afraid to be themselves

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Right, we’re switching on to another really big pivotal time in your life.
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So, you know, again, super grateful and love that you’re happy to speak about this because
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it’s very personal and young still, I think. So, again, seeing you so happy and being your best and incredible self
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makes us so proud for you and just we just love you so much. You know how much we love you and everybody loves you. So,
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through all of what we’ve talked about, you know, you’re a different kiddo, cool as, really happy to be in your own skin,
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completely lost that through high school. Um, and then had your ADD, anxiety, severe depression, suicidal
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intent. Um, and that in itself took a long time to to to heal from that whilst trying to get you through high
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school, right? Which you did. Woohoo. Um and now you’ve still got friends from high school that you know you you’ve got to a place of understanding and yeah
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it’s been beautiful to watch but there’s been a lot of pain to watch you know through that.
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So the other huge part of who you are is that you realizing all that you are gay.
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You like girls and we used to joke about that. Yeah.
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Cuz you were so cute. I’m so going to tell that story. Totally. Cutest thing ever. So, what year was that? Year six. Yeah. Year maybe five or six.
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So, again, five. Was year five.
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Year five. So, the reason I’ve shared some of those pivotal stories of like literally living in Greg the Wiggles outfit. Yeah.
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Like, picture that. So cute. Curly hair all the time.
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Could hardly get it off you to wash, you know. So cute. But you chose the man. So cute. uh as you got older, it wasn’t like you were into trucks and stuff, you
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know, like you used to play with dollies, but as you got older, very much tomboy-ish. Um, and you know, got along
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with boys and like I said, when you used to do the weekly Moana plays with a boy with no shirt on.
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Okay.
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So cute though because you know what? We were watching it the other day. I think I sent it to you and like we all just loved you. So it wasn’t like she’s gay.
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I just think that and I’m not saying that this is going to be everybody’s journey but you know we used to openly sort of go joke about it
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and then yeah April fools I was ironing in the laundry didn’t know it was April fools you have like an inkling absolutely that’s what I mean definitely
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had an inkling but still didn’t think you were really no like it’s always the inkling and this is where I wanted to talk about a bit on
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a parent side if other mothers are going through it or been through it and stuff it is it is different so it’s like something you have to process as a
2 minutes, 45 seconds
parent, but we’ll get to that later. But um absolutely an inkling, right? But still, no way. It’s like, no, you’re going to get married, you’re going to
2 minutes, 53 seconds
have kids, you’re going to get married to a man. That’s what everyone does, right? You’re a girl. Exactly. That’s that’s we’re all conditioned. Um but yeah, we used to joke about it and then
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yeah, um ironing and Aqua Falls, it wasn’t didn’t know it was. And she was year five and she’s come up and she’s like, “Oh, mom, got something to tell you.” Oh god.
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And I’m like, “What darling?” She’s like, “I’m gay.” And I’ve gone, “This is like year five.” And I went, “That’s okay, darling.” But
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you went, “I’m only joking. I’m only joking.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, I got very defensive. You got very defensive.” But I didn’t know it though. But I think you did.
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No.
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So I didn’t know what it was.
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This is what I’ve talked about to other people that uh I used to when you used to go out clubbing and used to have um friends, guy friends that were gay and
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um I used to love hearing people’s stories. And one I think I’ve told you this story. Yeah.
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Um hi his name was and he was from a very small village in Philippines or something and I very young naive asking
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the question. I said oh when did you realize you started liking boys? Um and he said oh my gosh like we were in this tiny little village and I used when I
3 minutes, 58 seconds
start having those sort of dreams it would be about boys. And he was like I knew it was not right and you no one else ever talked about this. it was. So
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when he left at 17 and then realized, okay, it’s a thing. He’s like, I I’ve always felt like I was or I my my sexual
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dreams were um of boys. I’m like, it’s so interesting, right? Cuz we always talk about and I talk about this with you and your girlfriend is like I don’t think being gay is a choice.
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I could be very wrong and this is my little Moana bubble. I feel like the journey for you um with life in itself, it’s not an easy choice. It’s still a
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minority. Um, yes, we live in a much more carefree world, but still people judge. They might judge with the eyes or I don’t know, but it’s still a minority.
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You’re a minority in Perth, even smaller. And younger, even smaller. Um, so, you know, getting back to that. Um,
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and again, you don’t have to discuss if you don’t want to.
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We saw that you were quite tomboyish, but was there starting a stage where you’re like, “Oh, I quite like that girl.” Yeah, I remember. I remember it cuz I
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just thought that everyone felt that. Yeah. I don’t know. Yeah.
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It was in primary school. I remember cuz I was just like she’s gorgeous.
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She’s really pretty, which we do, which is not like I’ve talked about this when you came out to us and that’ll be another story. And um I’ll finish up
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with a story and I just said to you, “Well, sweetheart, you must be gay.” Cuz you went, “I’m by.” And I’m like, “Okay.” I’m thinking, “Sure.” Well, I I You think you were?
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I thought I was because I I But I wonder if it’s such a big shock.
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It’s kind of You know what I mean? I think, like I said, cuz it’s a minority, you want to edge into it, right? Yeah.
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Yeah. Cuz you always had boyfriends and stuff. That’s what I mean. It wasn’t like it was you weren’t attracted to I look I don’t know. That’s not my brain.
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But I remember having this conversation cuz we were having a big talk when you actually had that coming out conversation. And I said, “Sweetheart, I think you probably like girls like
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you’re gay.” Cuz I I’ve never wanted to be with a woman. I think that women are gorgeous. I said, “But I’m a pretty heterosexual person.” And you went exactly that. You went really?
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Yeah. Well, again, with the totally what I like, I swear. I was like there. Okay. I was
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like, “At least there’s like a little like and apparently not.” And look, there’s definitely by and all LGBQ, you know, I’m not having a go at anybody
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else. You and me as a mother and a daughter, my version of how I’ve felt in my life, I’ve never had those feelings.
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And so that’s, you know, and and for you to just, you were so perplexed. I was like, what?
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Yeah. And I think people’s sexuality is definitely more out there now, which is great. You know, I’m all for it. You know, like, you know, in our house, we’ve, you know, even with the other
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girls, we’re not one of those families to not talk about sex or anything like like we’re not doing rude stuff in front of people, but age appropriate.
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I’m like, this is normal human stuff.
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Like, you know, especially when you’re teens, it’s when you want to do it the most, right? So, you know, not that we’re just having big orgies anywhere, but
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you know, comfortable conversation, but you know, we’re not afraid to have those conversations. So, um, so you started feeling that. Do you feel like also sort
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of already you were feeling different being um ADD and you know not a cookie cutter sort of girl. Do you feel like on
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reflection like that mid to upper high school when you hadn’t come out yet that that was a whole big full mask you had to keep hiding that you didn’t like not liking girls?
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Yeah. Well, it was I this was around year 11, right?
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Well, you told it wasn’t until end of year 12 you told us.
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had a girlfriend at the time. It made it easier if I just came out just But you didn’t tell us until end of year 12. Like it was No, I didn’t. It wasn’t the end of year
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12. It was Okay. Right. This is where we’re going to No, it was year 11. You didn’t go into year 12 being gay. Yes, I did, Mom.
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Yes, I did. You remember? Oh, I don’t actually. Okay, that’s okay. Okay. Anyway, year 11. Year 11. I thought you’d left school.
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It was like the end of year 11. Okay, that’s all right. I remember cuz I was still in school.
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Okay. cuz exams were on and everything like that. Thought it was you 12. It doesn’t matter. We don’t argue about it. 11 12.
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Yeah. And what was the question again?
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Do you feel like Oh, liking being gay and you in a in a
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um private Catholic school, which I think they’re pretty open to it now.
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It’s not as strict as what it used to be, but still again. Yeah. That’s what I that’s what I mean.
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Do you know what I mean? like everyone’s saying everyone’s, you know, open to it all. They’re not really No.
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And um they won’t say anything, but then doesn’t mean that they’re That’s what I mean. You didn’t want to be judged and stuff. So, do you feel at that stage where you started getting
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really really down, which was about Yeah. year 10 was it worse, wasn’t it?
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Um do you feel that that might have been a contributing factor to it as well? Yeah, of course.
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Yeah, that definitely was. Cuz then I was like, “Oh my gosh.” Cuz I was obviously still struggling with friends as well and then this on top of it. I was like, “There’s no way I’m going to
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have friends after this.” Cuz I thought it was like, “Oh my gosh.” Yeah. Totally.
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But I when I, you know, realized and I started, you know, having a relationship with
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another girl. I was like, perfect timing because I’m I only have a year left and if they do judge me then I can just
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and I think you just felt really like watching it on reflection again on our view compared to yours. Yeah.
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Is this girl came into our lives and she was quite shy and from another school and stuff like that and she was nice.
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She was nice enough but she was quite shy but after quite a lot of time you were very cozy.
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Yeah.
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Cozy on the couches and stuff. And remember I was saying to you I was like friends do this.
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I’m like right no.
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Okay. And then I and I then I what I was saying to you over those months is like are you with her? No. No. Definitely not. So there was quite a long time that
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you must have been with each other and you Yeah. Yeah. It was it was a while. It was a while. I remember Molly. This is before I came out to you.
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I had just woken up from a nap. You also woke me up from a nap and asked me.
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No, that we’ll get to that. But I No, let me tell you.
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I had I was I had just woke up. No, I was still nappy and my sister Molly in the room and she must she just wanted to get out
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of me, I guess. She hops on top of me and she like pins me. She goes, “Tell me like I know you do. I know you’re gay.
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Just tell me.” I’m like, “Really?” I was like, “Hold it at gunpoint.” I was like, “Oh my god, it goes Molly point.” I knew it. And I was like, “Oh, wait.
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That wasn’t that bad.” Cuz I thought Molly was going to judge me the most. Yeah. still does a little bit.
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She does. And she had this. She loves you. And this is the complexities of life, right? And family. This is why we want to be as open as we can. We We love
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our Molly. Molly has no filter and we love it. And sometimes we’re like, woo.
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And it I think it was even last night we were talking about it. Oh, it not being a choice. And being gay is not a choice. I mean, gay gay, right?
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And um well, it is a choice. You choose to do it, but I mean it’s you know what I’m trying to say. And she’s like, “No, still don’t take that.” But I still
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don’t think so, Mom. She is. And I said, “Okay, that’s your opinion.” Oh, totally. And we had these conversations. We laugh about it. She
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goes, “I love Eloise very much.” Like, and I said, “I know you do.” And I said, cuz her boyfriend was there at the time. And I said, “Oh, was this at the table when we when
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I wasn’t there?” Yeah. Okay. Awesome.
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It was only us three. And um he’s like, “Really?” Cuz he was quite surprised as well. And um normally said that.
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Yeah. And I said I said, “Isn’t it funny that we have a family that’s very open?” Yeah. your girlfriends stay over, boyfriends stay over. U again, if you’d
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told me that 5 years ago, I like no way because it was such traditional parenting of like you do as we say, you know, no boyfriends, no, you know, and we’ve just
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had to evolve, right? We and we it’s all going well at the moment.
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Well, also, but no, we’ve had to do a lot of work as a family and as parents to keep adjusting. Other people judge, other people will judge this. We’re at a
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point, particularly Dave and I, that we don’t care about the judgment at all.
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you guys are the most important thing, you know. Um, but anyway, having a family that we all love you so much and your girlfriend is around all the time
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and everybody loves her too, Molly included.
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Um, that Molly still thinks that cuz I said to Molly, would you like just would you be with a girl? Would you want it?
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She’s like, “No.” She goes, “Oh, I suppose if you paid No.” She goes, “If you paid me.” And I She said that.
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So funny. I said, “How much?” Cuz oh, 10 grand. Anyway, we were having a conversation.
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But to be living in a space of we all love each other. We’re we’re we’re loud.
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We’re I call it my beautiful chaos. We accept each other for everything. And I don’t know if that’s the Catholic being brought up in her. I don’t know. Again,
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no judgment on Catholics. But um yeah, we’re all so open. Your dad’s so open. Your grandparents have been great.
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Again, being great meaning if they would don’t talk about it.
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That definitely don’t talk about it. But also, if anyone in our life ever said anything derogatory or anything to you
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or us, we would no longer have them like cut and dry. It wouldn’t matter if it’s blood, family, whatever.
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You and the girls and Dave and I. The most important thing, and you know that, and I think that’s been a really important thing without even saying that is that, you know, we
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love everybody in our lives, but if anyone ever made you feel bad about that, you know, what would happen to that relationship? Um so yeah so then
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obviously that so came out and so then you’ve had a few relationships and I think at times have been you know like
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you know a man woman relationship it’s learning it’s young you know and stepping through it um and
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again I remember when you came out and told us but you feel like it’s different do you feel like it got to the point of like well you know okay this girl’s here
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and it is pretty cozy you’ve got to Tell us, did you feel safe enough? Because you were really upset when you told me like you your words to me were that you
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were hysterical. You had been crying. I had been away on a girl’s weekend and you were in my bed crying and swear I had work. Maybe I know it’s okay. This is, you know, I
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wasn’t I wasn’t drunk. Um, and I’m like, “What’s wrong, sweetheart? I’ve been away for the weekend and you were like hysterical we went,
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what’s wrong?” And you said, “I’ve I’m going to tell you something. promised not to kick me out and I went that would
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never happen like you know like I’d probably bury a body for you. Shouldn’t say that but was scared how would you react because it’s not the normal.
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This is what’s so interesting and why I want people to hear this and and maybe a younger person that might find it hard or whatever. Uh and some parents are
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obviously not going to be as open. I get that. That still happens. Um, but for us, we not only joked about it. Um, it
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was talked about in funny ways, but you really, your pain was so real that we would kick you out or that we not love
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you any or something. Yeah. But can you remember that?
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Yeah. Well, I was just I was more scared that judged.
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No, just more like how you would if you’d see me differently. Oh, okay. Do you know what I mean?
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Yeah, totally. in a way of like I don’t know because I wouldn’t really I didn’t really know if you because
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obviously you’ll always be accepting but if you’d be comfortable with it.
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Totally. You know what I mean? And I think that’s what I talk about the acceptance is like everyone’s like ah that’s great.
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I’m like yeah it is fine but you’re exactly right. It’s not the norm.
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Right. So if someone who is gay feels so strongly like you you have to learn to love yourself again basically. Don’t
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you? I would say in a way cuz it’s it’s not something that you keep in anymore. No, but it’s also the different things.
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So you feel like you’re going to be judged. So I remember something at work not that long ago, maybe last year with situations in life that I won’t go
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into. And I went, well, did you tell your boss about this about the girlfriend and that? And you went, oh no, they don’t know I’m gay.
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Yeah. Yeah. Well, you just got to be it’s like stepping st I love that. I love that. But what 3 years fresh out fresh out of the closet?
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Fresh out the closet. But this is what I want to talk about is it’s a rough road.
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It’s not easy, you know. And for parents, the biggest thing I want to say to parents is, do you love your child?
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Of course you do. Then it does. Nothing else should matter. Like really when we all come to the end of our lives, what what does it come down to is our family,
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the people we love, and how how we have been on this earth, you know? I know everyone people struggle and stuff and life’s not easy. I get that.
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But I don’t give a If you live with us for the rest of your life, your dad won’t be happy with that.
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And I know you don’t want to be.
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Why am I doing this? I don’t know. It’s like I’m whispering so dad doesn’t hear.
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And he loves you so much. And you know, I’m again that stage of my life I’m looking forward to too. But what I always want for you girls, and you know
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this is we’re always there for you. Like go out, spread your wings, be yourselves, but we’re always going to be here. We’ll have a house for you if you need like that you’re not in the world
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by yourself. Yeah. And what I had growing up is, you know, was a bit complicated and we won’t go into that.
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But, um, I think if you can stay connected to your children even when they feel very disconnected to you, just
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even a message, you know, I’m here for you, you know. Um, because that can be also be confusing. You said,
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you know, like how sometimes we’d have arguments, right?
17 minutes, 48 seconds
Did we? We did not. sometimes with rarely it’s a rare occasion you know what I mean um where
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or like say like with Molly and stuff like that you’d have arguments and you’d say things obviously out of anger totally mean but then you’d send a message
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afterwards no not piss me off but it would just like be like confusing cuz you’re like
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now you’re saying oh like I appreciate it but it’s confusing cuz then why did you etc., etc. But I’ve just had a light bulb cuz I do it to Molly and Izzy all the time.
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No, you’ve changed with that now. Have I?
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Yes. Cuz you actually don’t You used to be very forward with me, you know what I mean? You were always forward about how you felt, right?
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Um, you never really hold back and then but then you I really we really got messages. I really got Tell me the truth. I know. Exactly. With
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Molly, you’re like, you say how you feel, but in a way that it’s not shoving it down your
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100%. Yeah, I’ve definitely changed with that. And I think, thank the Lord that our relationship was different like that. Um, and it’s not Molly’s fault and
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whatever, but because you really leaned on me with a different type of personality. I kind of felt really close to you even at really
19 minutes, 5 seconds
tough times. Um, and we didn’t argue a lot, right? But see with Molly, she’s so fiercely
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independent and didn’t need me through her tough times. That was my issue of um her not wanting me.
19 minutes, 20 seconds
Um but also learning how to reach I know. And I knew I knew she’s an amazing kid and but she’s a strong willed kid and there’s a lot of strong
19 minutes, 28 seconds
willed kids out there and I’m sure the parents are going to listen to this. The strong willed kids are like what the do I do?
19 minutes, 33 seconds
It’s it’s all doable. Having three kids that are all so different is adjusting the parenting. But it is um like you said, making it more about me than the child.
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Yeah. Yeah. No, that’s that’s a big thing.
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Yeah. But we’d also you you wouldn’t send messages cuz we’d apologize after.
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I know. We were always face to face. We always good with that.
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We were like, “Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Or we’d get distracted and we’d forget that we’re arguing. It’s a It’s a win lose.
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I know. I know. Different dynamics of different different personalities. And I think what I wanted to reflect on too and and being honest without upsetting you because you know how supportive and
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how much I love you and how you know again bit of a funny story with dad. So that time you came out and we were talking about it and I’m
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like who is it? And she you said the name and I’m like well and I think you also said we got so much into the
20 minutes, 23 seconds
relationship you and her um and we just thought you were friends and you kept telling us you were friends that you you’d been actually probably lying well
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lying to us. I think you felt bad getting into that lie a little bit as well. Um you know because it was a it was a long like hiding it from us but that’s okay.
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Um but then I’m like you better tell dad and you were like no I was I know you were. Do you remember what he said?
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It was so funny. It was it was so so your dad and I’m so proud of him cuz he’s a manly man. Aussy man, isn’t he? You know like
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um he’s a bloke and um I was like oh okay.
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Yeah he was amazing. And so I’m like, “You’ve got to tell him.” And so he’s come in and he’s like, “What? What?” Like I’m like, “Dave, Dave, you’ve got to come in here.” And um
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I said, “Oh, we has got something to tell you.” And you like upset. And I just said, “Oh, she’s gay.” And he laughed. He went and he went, “Welcome
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to the alphabet.” And we went, “What?” And he went, “LGBQ2T.” I don’t even know it, which is really bad. Apologies for not knowing it properly. LGBQT.
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I don’t really know it either. I’m going to be honest.
21 minutes, 25 seconds
We should know it. I should Apologies for not knowing that. I will find it. Um but you know he did he was so lighthearted about it and he’s done
21 minutes, 33 seconds
nothing but love you through it. But I do know um you know for him he he just loves you. But where I wanted
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to come as a mom and a dad it doesn’t come without concerns and adjustments. Yeah. Right.
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We’re very close. We love you. We’re accepting. But we’ve had to do a lot of our own inner work with that because it isn’t the norm. It isn’t the narrative
21 minutes, 57 seconds
white picket fence gets married to a bloke and has kids.
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Not one has to do that. That’s ridiculous. Don’t have kids if you don’t want to be with whoever you want. But, you know, we were living in this very,
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you know, middle class or are living in this world anyway.
22 minutes, 13 seconds
Um, and so the adjustment for for me was all about me, not about you, right? And so what I did is I owned it
22 minutes, 21 seconds
really quickly and then I was not ashamed to tell, right? And so what I have seen elsewhere, some parents must I
22 minutes, 30 seconds
don’t know if they feel ashamed or embarrassed that it’s not the norm. They don’t talk about it. They try and hide it. Right?
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I think the biggest thing as a parent is all you come back to is how much do you love that child and do you want your beautiful child to be by themselves in this world?
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And then you’ve got to do the adjusting, you know, cuz really what it comes down to, especially with all the mental health and the severities of where you’re at. And this sounds so cliche.
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Yes. We need we want you to work hard, have a successful life and all of that, but also be happy. Yeah.
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You know, I know you can’t be happy all the time, but like happy with whatever you want, you know, be within the same sex, you
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know, do whatever like really truly be happy. And we’ve seen that of recent with the person that you’re with now.
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You are so yourself. Oh, look at that smile on your face. Can’t name names. Yeah.
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Um, but you know, everything you’ve been through and we’ve been through as a family, I’m just so proud of, again, I keep saying proud, but I’m I’m just grateful. Yeah.
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Cuz if we looked at things differently and went, “No, they can’t come over.” Or, “No, we don’t like that you’re being gay,” or whatever, you know, cuz that’s what some parents say is like, “Okay, we
23 minutes, 37 seconds
know you are, but you can’t bring them home.” Or or whatever it might be. I don’t know, you know, or um that’s a
23 minutes, 44 seconds
normal thing as well is it’s like self-reflection as a parent is like, “I love my child. How can how can I grow with this?
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Yeah. Yes. No. Does that make sense? Yeah, it does.
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But yeah, it’s still an adjustment is what I was saying.
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Yeah. It you’re any we as humans, we all are. Yeah. Always. Yeah. It’s not We don’t just stay the same. Really?
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Yeah. But it feels really good to be at our space now, which is what three or so years down, and we’re just so happy with everything.
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Yeah. Yeah. Is that how you feel?
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I agree. No, I definitely agree. It took a took a while. Like I said, takes years. Yeah.
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and move through that quickly, but it takes time. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it does.
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And being open and conversing about stuff of what you’re comfortable or not comfortable. We’ve done that as well over the last few years. Like, okay, that’s fine that your girlfriend’s over,
24 minutes, 33 seconds
but look, you know, Yeah. between Molly Molly and her boyfriend. Yeah.
24 minutes, 38 seconds
Well, between Yeah. a silver lining between Molly and her boyfriend and then obviously me and my boyfriend because
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you know what was it again? It was it cuz I can’t remember the story. What it’s very obviously very different
24 minutes, 55 seconds
cuz boy Oh, totally know like sleepovers and then Oh, yeah. I know what you’re trying to say. So, what also happened which is
25 minutes, 3 seconds
another funny story. I may as well share it is again like I said um 5 years ago before everything your dad and I were quite traditional in our parenting of
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like no no you’re not sleeping over boys and girls are not sleeping over boyfriends aren’t sleeping over right cuz we thought we could control the that
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but no anyway so um in that was the offset.
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Oh my gosh. So in you being the eldest and then being gay then we had to adjust to
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cuz I have Yeah. Cuz I have two younger sisters.
25 minutes, 32 seconds
Yes. You have a 14-year-old sister and she was younger and you had Molly. But again, in our mind, we were thinking, okay, whatever big things we decide yes
25 minutes, 40 seconds
on for you, we have to decide yes for the other ones, right? So, we still quite decisive on some of those things.
25 minutes, 46 seconds
So, as you were coming out of really bad depression and we just wanted you to be happy and you know, there were so many times that you were starting to be yourself and you’d asked for the
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girlfriend to stay over. We were like, “Yes, you can sleep on the couch.” And then about a week after I forgot that happened.
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Oh, yeah. We tried. We tried. And then and then then it was like, “This is ridiculous.” And then I think you came out and said, you know, you just asked
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and your dad went, “Okay, fine.” And it wasn’t like a we just went, “Oh, this is ridiculous trying to hide keep this fight.” Cuz again, we’d been through
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such sadness and we love you so much. We weren’t giving into you just because, you know, you’re a good person.
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You’re a very nice person. You were feeling happy. you you we didn’t want to make you feel any more than you already had been, right? And so, you know, we were playing that fine line.
26 minutes, 34 seconds
Then fast forward, so many other things had happened, but you know, girlfriends had been staying over. And then with Molly just turning 18 last September,
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absolutely no boyfriend staying over. No way. No way. No way. And she didn’t really have a boyfriend. Actually, he wasn’t a boyfriend. He wasn’t her boyfriend at the time.
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She might have had flings, but she’d asked and we’re like, “No, unless it’s a boyfriend. We’re trying to hold off as long as possible.” Anyway, Molly turned
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18 and then sort of in that time had met this guy and we’d heard about him. We were thinking she liked him and stuff
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like that. But then she said, “Oh, can he stay over?” Wasn’t a boyfriend. And I’ve got we’ve gone, “Absolutely not.
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Wait until if a boy cuz you know, we’ve got younger sister here. We don’t want you bringing boys in and out.” You know, like trying to keep that boundary. And
27 minutes, 19 seconds
then, oh my gosh, then someone new in your life came in and pretty quickly had stayed over and we really liked her and
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we’re pretty open to that cuz you’re 20, you know. Yeah. Yeah.
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And you still ask and stuff. It’s a family home. And oh my gosh, she’d asked she had walked in and she’s gone
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and she’d gone straight out. Molly went nuts.
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Yeah. So, she got really angry because, you know, that wasn’t fair. this person wasn’t a girlfriend and all of that. And so I didn’t even think of that.
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Well, Molly made us let it Molly let us know.
27 minutes, 56 seconds
Anyway, very long story short, yes, what where we’re getting at is yes, her boyfriend stays over now. She, you know, whatever they’re together, but it
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strangely is a very different feeling as a parent, and I don’t know how to word it, to allow you have your girlfriend there and having Molly have the boyfriend.
28 minutes, 14 seconds
Very unfair. And when she said it’s so unfair, it actually got me because I’m like, “Yeah, you’re so right. It’s really unfair.” I do try to listen.
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You do listen.
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But again, getting back to what you were trying to say before, this is the concept of society and and you know the good and bad of like that’s seems worse
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that a boy and a girl can sleep together, but a girl and a girl can’t.
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Yeah. Cuz it’s like that’s apparently like like well friends.
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I think someone said they might get pregnant. We’re like really is you’re not going to get pregnant in the back of a car? Yeah. Or like Yeah.
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And the other thing is when I say that we’re open about talking about sex is like we’re not all having an orgy everywhere, but I think it’s really really normal for young people to be
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sexually active safely. And don’t shame them for that. Yeah.
29 minutes
Don’t shame that. I don’t want to know what you’re doing. You don’t want to know what me and dad are doing.
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Mom, I know it’s gross. What I’m trying to get to is as you as your children grow, we’ve got to stop parenting. you have to
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mentor and and earn your respect enough that they want to do the right thing by you and you know it’s your family home.
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So it’s rather than you do as I say, it’s like, hey, this is our family home. These are the morals and stuff like that. And that’s conscious parenting. That’s where it’s
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where I’ve got to over the years and dad and I is sometimes uncomfortable. Yes, it so works.
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But at times it’s killed us, you dad and I, because it’s not even halfway sometimes cuz some like we feel like we’re getting railroaded. But now what’s happened? We still have the boundaries.
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We still have morals. We’re a good family, but we’ve let a lot go. Yeah.
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Where we used to hold on tight to everything, didn’t we? like you have to do this. And we were that was from fear too.
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That kind of parenting which a lot of people do and still do is the fear of the future, the fear of your children, the fear of what other people are going to think for you as a parent. And but I
30 minutes
had to let go a very long time of I was a very big people pleaser talking about this on the way. Um and used to get very offended and upset what
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people thought of me and my actions. But now I don’t mind. Yeah.
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I don’t mind. And that’s been a very big very big transition for me. and I love the people in my life. But if someone to
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me tomorrow said, “Look, you know, I can’t be whatever.” And I I would process that and be okay. Where the old
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me um was very worried about whatever it becoming um in going through what we
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have as parents with you kiddos with mental health and all of this, you really got to get to the place of not minding what other people think about
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you and your life. cuz not caring is a big thing to say because we care but it doesn’t bother me and that’s why you can care but just don’t let it
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bother you in a way but that’s very because I care for people that are in our lives but um I’m really not bothered with what
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their views are on our parenting and whatever because you know at times we thought we were failing for sure your dad and I
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but um we stayed true to what you know I was learning you know your dad was great he found it a lot harder being a
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um our brains are very different. Um but again, I’m very proud of him because he um was able to adjust as well and uh that
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went against every cell in his body at times. Oh yeah.
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You know, you know that it did. Yeah, it definitely did.
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Yeah. Um so suppose we haven’t talked about dad so much as well as everything, but and we’re talking about things on
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the way here. Um, you know, there things if there’s a dad listening that cuz obviously it’s very different cuz the
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mom was around all the time. Um, do you think it’s harder for girls to often reach out with their dads or do you
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think that’s quite a um I’m generalizing or Well, yeah, kind of generalizing because you can be
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really close with your dad. You could be close with your mom, but sometimes you you want
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comfort instead of solutions and sometimes dad can give that try to fix.
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Yeah. Don’t you think dads try to fix as well as bad but not as bad cuz you can just tell them to stop. Okay. Yeah.
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But then mom’s, you know, you always like thinking about it always like you got to do. And look, I’m just talking about a nuclear family here because
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we’re we’re you know, we’re a man and a woman, but you know, when you grow up, well, you are grown up, but you know,
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you you will marry a woman, you know, like so that will be a different thing.
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So, when I’m talking about this, this is more our family. I’m talking about, you know, even when you’ve got a woman and a woman, it’ll be different personalities like you’re a very different
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personality. It doesn’t matter. It just depends on different parent, isn’t it? And different views.
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Yeah. And also on the on on on reflection too like if if there’s a single mother or a single father you know we really
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a child just needs one good parent. So even if say for example dad wasn’t on board with things at times he wasn’t I just kept
33 minutes, 3 seconds
feeling like I was on the right path and at times he was not in the same I often say not even the same book because his views were different. I just kept
33 minutes, 10 seconds
plotting along and then he would see the changes. So what I say to parents out there, man or woman, um this awareness, this conscious parenting, this
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understanding, being connected with your children, um guiding and meing mentoring them and working on yourself is is really important
33 minutes, 27 seconds
for the child because like I always I say this all the time, but our frontal cortex is not fully developed until we’re 25, which is your decision-m part
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of your brain. So, as parents, we need to remember that because when you’ve got an adult, 19-year-old kid yelling at you and or whatever, you know, it’s very easy to think, well, they’re adult, they’re not.
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They haven’t had the life experience.
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They’re still living at home and their decision-m part of their brain’s not hasn’t been finalized, you know.
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So, yeah. So I suppose with all of that if um if there was a a um a kid child
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that sort of feels like they might be going through similar thoughts and processes around that and coming out.
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Have you got any advice or support around that?
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What with the parents or uh themselves? Not even the parents you know like knowing that this is something that’s entering your life. Any way that
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you can help them process Maybe what I recommend you you need to
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know like you need to make sure not okay play around before you make a decision.
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Yeah, that’s not what I meant but like you need to make sure you’re you know well you always know but like you
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are comfortable enough in your say for example you tell a friend and then they start telling everyone which is going to happen which no like if you haven’t come out
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you tell one friend and then they tell everyone you know.
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Yeah. Um, you got to make sure you’re ready for people to know in case that come that comes to it where you comfortable enough because you wouldn’t have been that comfortable. Yeah.
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Yeah. Yeah.
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Like I was like, but as soon as it starts going around Yeah. You’ve got to deal with it.
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But obvious like I guess people going to have their opinions. Obviously be comfortable enough with it.
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Yeah. What would you say to a child whose parents finding it a bit hard?
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So, say for example, you know, you knew we loved you, but we were um not all accepting as accepting as what we were.
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Would you be able to have I don’t know if I’d be able to put myself in that.
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Well, but it is who you is is who you are, though.
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Your parents are always going to love you no matter if what it’s just it’s a matter of acceptance of yourself.
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No. Of of the parents, you know, what happens if your parents weren’t as accepting though? You have to accept that.
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Like they’re always going to love you, but you can’t not be gay. Yeah. Yeah.
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And you’re just going to have like accepting who you are. How about
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we you got to accept that some people aren’t going to be as accepting. Yes.
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Using that word a lot. Including your parents. Totally.
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And it’s like if you’ve accepted yourself enough you and more comfortable in yourself, you start to understand that you aren’t going to change your parents.
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Yeah. Okay. That’s a good decision.
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As sad as that is, it is sad, but you know, you can you know, still love them. still doesn’t and you can work around it but it it’s it would
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be very hard it would be tough. Yeah. And I I would think also again um only watching you go through what you’ve been through is trying to find your people.
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Yeah.
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Like you know when you’re around your friends now that you know you’re comfortable with you can be yourself you know like and they love you for you.
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They really love you for you. And I think through high school that was such a challenge cuz you couldn’t even be yourself. No. uh not their fault particularly, but now you’re so yourself
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and you’re shining and you’re funny and you’re so cool. That’s just from my mother, but I when I’m when I see your friends and you’re around your friends
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now, you are your authentic self where on reflection you were such hid so much before. Yeah. Yeah.
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Which helped I think helped at the time coming out. Oh, I know. I meant hi helped hide it. Hiding it hard.
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Yeah. Yeah. Coming out helped because we were older. Yes.
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Like a bit older. If I had come out in like year eight, they’d be like, “Ah, it’s just a phase.” Yeah. Cuz he’s young. Yeah. That thing. Gotcha. You know what I mean?
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Without judgment.
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Um, so here’s another question for you on the back all of that. If you could speak directly to little Eloise when you
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were younger, um, what would you like her to know? What would you tell her?
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What would I tell her? all the stuff you’ve been through, that beautiful carefree aloise and everything you’ve been through. What would you tell her?
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Reflect on your curly head, little wheezy. I don’t think I would tell her anything.
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What? Because I You’d need to let it happen. You’re so funny with that.
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No, but I just don’t I know what you’re trying to say. But like I think it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.
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But then little would start freaking out if I say that. I know that.
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Like what do you mean it’s going to be okay? You’re overthinking my question, but that’s really cute.
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Yeah. No, but like if you think about I know what you’re saying. But what I’d say we’re not literally talking to little Eloise. Like, you know, what I’d say is
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so all the hard times you’ve been through and what you’ve realized what if you could could do it, what would help her?
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Like it’s going to be okay.
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You basically You’re gay.
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No, because definitely gay.
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Um, oh that’s a good question because it’s like that’s you’re pretty resilient though. You
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know, you are that kind of person that sort of just goes, you know, it is what it is. And I remember asking you after you finished high school like what ended up happening is the group of friends
39 minutes, 5 seconds
that you probably in my view should have hung around with more like the arty music and girls which you feel very comfortable with. I said, “Oh, do you
39 minutes, 13 seconds
feel sad that you didn’t hang around them more at high school?” and you went, “No, I’m actually okay that I went through everything I went through and it’s maybe who I am.” Yeah. Well, that’s what I’ve always been like.
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Why? You probably shouldn’t as you knew. But I’m not like I don’t know.
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Alcohol. Mine’s good.
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No, it doesn’t. No, it’s not. No, it’s not.
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No, it’s not. No, it’s not. No, I think like
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it’s more important you I mean like you’ll like yourself more than you need you’ll feel the need to be liked soon enough.
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Yeah, totally. And I think you hit the nail on the head. Is that where you lost yourself? Is that you were working so hard for people to like you and they just felt like they weren’t?
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Yeah. I just like I people liked me but I never felt fully liked. You didn’t at all.
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You weren’t invited to things and little baby.
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No, but it and the thing is what I love about you and I think um hopefully it’s been a little bit of my um supporting and parenting a little bit in
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the background is that you know and I don’t think I actually said these things when you were younger but I’ve definitely said it as you were older that everything definitely happens for a
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reason. I mean there are things in life that are really tragic that I will never get the answers for. Um but this these
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sort of things that are emotional or you know things that are sort of out of your control with that I think sitting in
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that okay this is really um everything happens for a reason and on reflection to that you know that time that I took you to hospital I when it
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was at its worst and things have been going for a long time and I’ve told you this story we were sitting in the emergency room for like five or six hours like those
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poor nurses and doctors were like you know so stressed out and I’m not kidding you when I said I didn’t look at my
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phone. I didn’t think anything else and this is really weird but I do believe in
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you know a higher being is I just kept saying this is happening for a reason for the whole 5 hours. It’s all I said in my brain and I don’t know if I
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couldn’t process anything else and it was pretty traumatic for me that I couldn’t go anywhere else with that but I didn’t all I said was that.
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Yeah. And I and and every step of the way I I remember and I don’t think you remember a lot of it and a lot of it was hard but now in reflection I’m like
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absolutely for our lives and your life that was meant to happen at that time and I was there to guide your dad and support you to have this incredible
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life. You’re still going to have your ups and downs but instead of leaving your home and going through that we were able to be there to support you through that.
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Yeah. you know, and sadly it doesn’t work out for everybody and I my mind can’t even go there and I feel so sad for families and people and
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how heavy the world can be. But this is our story, yours and mine and our families and um yeah, at this time in
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this stage in our life, I think it definitely happened for a reason. Yeah. Do you feel that?
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I agree. I agree. as crap as it was because I there’s not a doubt in my mind
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that if all of that as much as it it it needed to happen. Terrible though, isn’t it? I know. Horrible.
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Some people don’t have to go through that and I hope lots of people don’t. But that’s been our that’s all we know. We’ll go through it later. Maybe they won’t.
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Maybe they won’t. Maybe you have a perfect life.
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Look, no such thing as it but everyone has their troubles, isn’t it? And I think that that’s what the hardest thing. So you know um so I think
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obviously as a finish finishing point just want to talk about the hope is why we want to talk about this is like when we do these sort of conversations and
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I’m again so grateful that you want to share is that a parent can hear this there’s hope. I’m like please DM me in the car like a review.
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It’s a review. Yeah. And after review and it works. It works.
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And also it’s so interesting to have you say that because we weren’t doing the conscious parenting. Well I saw it happening. I know.
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Instead of me doing it to me, I saw it that conscious parenting.
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I think I was doing it to a degree, meaning we were still letting you be yourself. We were supporting you through all those tough times.
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You were like, you would change it up in a way. Worked. Of course, it worked.
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Yeah. Um, but with the conscious conscious parenting, which is now I’m certified in, meaning lived experience, it works. We’re on the other side of it.
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You and Molly and is going well in our view. um is then why I got certified in conscious parenting with
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Dr. Shafali who is the founder of it who is a a psychologist who has a doctorate and doing psychology for years and she
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just was working with families and there was just spaces that were missing and kids weren’t getting better and the families were breaking up and she’s like what’s going on? So she created like an
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eastern western is the way she explains it is like your inner work as parents.
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So conscious parenting is just being conscious and aware of why we do those things, why we were so hard on those things and and just adjusting things
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ever so slightly, sometimes quite intensely, but um also believing in yourself as people and as as parents,
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one parent, two parent, and and being that mentor and guide rather than that, you know, authoritarian do as I say and
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then destroying the child in it within because um of what we want, you know, and with a compliant child like you, If we didn’t
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change, you would have just got more and more depressed. Yeah.
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So, you didn’t talk back or you didn’t, you know, did everything we wanted, but we were indirectly
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not helping. We were sort of contributing to you thought you were doing like you thought you were let go because I wasn’t cuz we were pushing too much.
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So, the conscious parenting is really simply is being super aware when your kids are struggling. You know again people are going to go through their
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parenting time and not going to be challenging like us and that’s fine but if it gets tough conscious parenting so
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working I work with families all around the world but again it’s like a review you know it’s like it works cuz if I got to the other side and it didn’t work I would have gone it doesn’t work it
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doesn’t work um but it does and the world continues to change all the time so we’ve got to keep adjusting to parenting um so my biggest advice to parents listening is
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please DM if you feel stuck or it feels a little bit familiar Um, I’m always there hanging out there. I am helping
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families in this space. Um, if they’re finding, you know, it hard to parent some teens or pre-teens, but also um,
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check out your local sort of family therapists because what we found over time is individual therapy is got its
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place and it’s it’s great, but if you’re having situations in your family and it’s just not working, get into a family
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therapist. So that’s like with the child and the parents. So then you really get to understand what’s going on for for everyone, not just blaming the child or blaming the parents.
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Um, so really the biggest finishing off question is um zero out of 10. How you feeling at life at the moment?
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Oh, come on. It’s not that hard. 9.3.
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Oh, that’s amazing. The reason why we joke about that because at the darkest deepest times when we were getting family therap counseling and stuff like
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that, we literally had to ask you like right out of one and sometimes it was like a negative, you know, or no, it was like a zero or a
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one. It was like a nothing. And it was really just there’s not a lot of conversation going on, but it’s like how are you today? You know, we could just judge without having a conversation. But this conversation is that there’s hope.
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We’re really down. it is a small time of our lives and that for parents it’s if we can it’s our jobs to support them out of it. Um and really lower expectations
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around schooling and stuff like that if they’re struggling because they will be okay once they’re mentally okay. Yeah.
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Um there’s no such thing as perfect parents, perfect children, perfect family, absolutely no way.
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Everyone’s got craziness going on in different ways. And that’s the beautiful craziness of being human.
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What really matters the most I think if we can is our willingness to hear our children and listen rather than tell you
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know or fix like when things feel not they’re not working pauses bite your tongue off hear them out you
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know it took a long time for me to adjust to getting to this place like it wasn’t always easy I definitely got upset at times I definitely got angry at
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times I definitely have things that I I can remember but I’ve asked Molly and she can’t remember so you all of those things. So, just softening and trying to be connected.
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And I think always in this way that we live now is tear and repair. Meaning, we
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have arguments or whatever. Um, we must try and repair after. It doesn’t have to be in the moment, but if there’s something as an adult that we’ve done
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that’s hurtful or said something that’s not nice or whatever, and we know that that doesn’t feel right, when we feel right, we need to say sorry. Well, it
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helps like when your kids and like adult as well if you learn that take a little breather
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like and then apologize after you can have a fight. There’s no or an argument.
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No one likes arguing. No one likes fighting. It’s actually human nature to have difference of opinions. It’s a special tool when you get older.
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So you know Yeah.
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Yeah. And also like Yeah. There’s so many things we can go deep dive into that. So when for yourself and sort of as you were, you know, when your times
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of feeling down, which has not been that long ago, again, you’ve had things happen in your life where you’re pretty down. What was your go-to to try and help you get through those days?
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My goto I Well, you know how there’s ways you can distract yourself on your phone.
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I would distract myself in other ways. Yeah. like art stuff. Y music.
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Yeah. You you tried to work really hard at not being on your phone as well, didn’t you? I believe. Yeah. Yeah.
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Sometimes. Well, look, thank you so much. I have loved this conversation. I hope it it really helps other families out there and being so vulnerable and
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open at your age because it took me into my late 40s to be able to do that. So, thank you so much.
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No, thank you. Love you with all my heart. Me on Parenting Collective. Love you. Thanks. I love you. Bye.
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Bye.
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So, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave me a rating and review. I love reading all of your messages, so shoot me a DM over on Instagram. It is parentingcollective.au.
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I also offer a free 15-minute no obligation phone chat. If you’d like to book one, head over to my website, www.paringcollective.com.au,
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and request one there. So, try to remember to be kind to yourself, and always know you’re doing the best you can every day, no matter what your day is looking like. Until next time, much love.
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