A Letter of Thanks to Dolce & Gabbana
I’d like to send an open
letter of thanks to the two men behind Dolce & Gabbana. I’d like to thank
them for their comments about parenting and families.
I’d like to thank them
because they’ve given me renewed confidence and motivation for my new book that
is slated for a Father’s Day release this year.
I’ve been conceiving and
writing this book for what will be about a year, and worrying every step of the
way if I should indeed publish it.
Will anyone care? Will it be
relevant? Will it help people?
My new book is about my
family and fatherhood. I was a divorced dad, gay dad, single dad, and then
coupled dad at a time when it wasn’t acceptable to be any of the above. I tried
to conform to societal expectations only to find myself in a very unhappy
place. While I did all that I could to make it work, I ultimately discovered
who I was and what it would take to find happiness.
While I faced great prejudice
along the way, I held my head up high and tried to be the best father that I
could possibly be. My kids are now fully grown, starting their own journeys and
I couldn’t be prouder.
When I started writing the
book, I worried that times have changed so much and gay parenting is now so accepted
that the book would fall on deaf ears. I worried that no one would find it
relevant anymore.
Thanks to the comments from
Dolce & Gabbana, those worries are unfounded. People clearly still suffer
from having to live up to what others view as required norms and people still
suffer from trying to fit in.
Parents of every flavor are
still dealing with the prejudice that comes from not following an unwritten
textbook of how it’s supposed to be done.
Sadly, prejudice still does
not discriminate…even when you’re a parent doing the best you possibly can.
These gentlemen have stated
their case for traditional families, and they are in fact entitled to their point
of view.
As am I…and I intend to
proceed with the publishing of my book, hoping that there are people out there
who will care, who will find it relevant, and who will find encouragement from
reading it.
Parenting isn’t about being
the perfect mom or textbook dad, it’s about caring for the physical and
emotional well being of your children. No matter who, what, where, when, or
how.
Love is love, and a parent’s
love is just about as deep as it gets.
By the way, my book is called
Out and About Dad…it is indeed about my
journey as a father with all its twists, turns, and a few twirls. It’ll be out
in June of this year, if not before. By what I’ve been hearing lately, it can’t
come out soon enough.
What's your experience? JIM.