family / growth

GIVE PEOPLE TIME TO COME AROUND

When I first came out to my mom, she cried. She was worried I would never have the kind of happiness she wanted for me: a lavish wedding, a kind husband, loving children. Now she posts pride flags on her Instagram feed with the caption “Love is love.”

Sometimes people need some time to come around to new ideas. You might be catching them off guard, sharing a brand-new perspective with them. A visceral reaction isn’t necessarily a final reaction. Even if you’re comfortable with and used to the idea of whatever information you’re sharing, remember that you weren’t always in that position. Your audience might need—and deserves—time to process and reassess their previous views. It doesn’t mean they won’t ever come around. They just need a little bit of time.