PA
In an interview with Gaydar Radio yesterday Jonathan Ross commented on the fact that his eldest daughter, 19-year-old Betty Kitten, is gay.
In reply to a question about how he would react if his daughter were to bring a woman home to meet her parents, he said:
"Well, my eldest daughter is gay so that's a question I've dealt with on a regular basis already. And providing it's a nice woman, I'm thrilled. As any Dad really, I love my kids regardless of who they are, what they do. Certainly, their sexuality is a), none of my business and b), certainly none of my concern. I just want them to be good, happy, stable people and so far, all three of them seem to be that."
It's not every day that I look to Jonathan Ross for inspiration, particularly on parenting matters, but his comments took me by surprise and struck a chord.
I confess that when I imagine my son's lives in the future I picture daughters-in-law and grandchildren, not boyfriends and same sex civil partnerships - those just aren't the things I have envisaged for my family. But my point is this: Ross is right. It doesn't - or at least shouldn't - matter who our children are or what they do, and it's important not to lay the burden of our expectations too heavily on their shoulders, regardless of whether those expectations extend to their achievements in life or their sexual preferences.
As a parent, I hope I will be as loving and unequivocally supportive of my children.
In the meantime, I intend to reframe my daydreams about family life in the future and remember that my children's lives are just that - their lives.