Very few people in the world have lesbian parents. I've got to say, it's been the best experience of my life. I grew up in Jacksonville, a town of conservatives, the last place a lesbian couple would want to be. I could never understand why they wanted to live there. Maybe they didn't want to leave the comfortable life they had there, but the way I was treated for having gay parents left me only to imagine what they were going through. As I got older and gained more understanding, I realized it wasn't just about having money or comfort; it was about strength and being proud of whom you are. No matter what anyone said to them, they would persevere, not because they were scared of losing a steady job and income, but because they wouldn't let anyone push them around. They knew what they wanted in life, and no one would stand in their way. I can't think of how parents could set a better example for their children.
I eventually moved away from them to live with my dad in Tampa when I was 15, going into my sophomore year. I was exposed to a completely different world. My father, a single 38-year-old man who had just been through a divorce, took advantage of his single life-had a few girlfriends, partied, and hung out with friends. This lifestyle made him a completely different parent. He didn't believe in structure like my mothers, but rather in freedom and space. The point was no longer to draw on strength from a parent, but find strength in myself.
I went nuts. I had never had freedom before. Even though I could do everything I could never do with my mothers, I didn't really know what to do. Where was the structure I had learned to crave? I became angry and frustrated, responding negatively to a positive situation for a long time. After a while, I realized that this was exactly the space I needed to utilize the lessons I had been taught all those years. I took advantage of the situation, instead of being mad at it, creating structure for myself. My father became very proud when he saw me finally realize this. My mothers taught me these important life lessons, but without my father, I would have never been able to apply those lessons. These two broken up parents, having little communication with each other, worked together to help me become a mature adult.
I know that I'm ready for college. I have strength, and what's even greater than that is knowing that I have put it to the test. Most teenagers will be on their own for the first time in college, and they'll have freedom, although most won't know what to do with it. Luckily for me, I know exactly what to do. I will react positively, which will make my time at college the new best experience of my life. I may not be ready to be an adult, but I am ready to grow.
