Out of the context of the fluidity of child-rearing this may seem obvious.
As a single point issue, "support your kid" may seem uncontroversial.
Real life over a period of decades is more complicated.
While discussing child-proofing a home Craig Ferguson characterized toddlers as "miniature drunks".
Raising children from moist newborns to voting adults may involve dozens, hundreds of parental guidance lessons.
These may tend toward avoidance:
- don't lick your finger and stick it in that electrical socket
- don't pet that hungry wolf
- don't play with matches under the covers
This negative messaging isn't because parents are intrinsically horrid.
We may think of being gay as a binary: straight or gay. Life is a little more complicated.
Some individuals may have a less dominating libido than others. Straight, gay, or non?
Where does "bi-" fit in this spectrum?
Some parents may vehemently preach against any deviation from hetero-norms for the most shallow and bigoted reasons.
Others may simply wish to spare their children the added adversity of clashing with societal norms.
This isn't intended to justify inadequate parenting.
But it may help us understand.
Hanlon's Razor - Don't attribute to malice what simple incompetence will explain.
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?