It gets better

(Image courtesy of www.younghouselove.com)

So this is a post i've been wanting to do for awhile. I just haven't had the time to sit down and gather my thoughts. A few weeks ago, a Rutgers freshman committed suicide. He was gay and his roommates and their friends videotaped him having sex with another boy. His roommate broadcasted this video to the public and basically humiliated him. I realize this is wrong, but i also know how college kids think and i'm sure they didn't realize the severity or the impact this would make on the boy. But still, how could they.

Anyway, yes, that is so humiliating. I would die if my private business was shown to the whole world. I would also die if I was gay and already had a hard time fitting into society or finding my place in this world. Of course I say i would die b/c i'ma dramatic person, but i'm not sure if i would really go so far as killing myself. And its such a shame for this boy to think that everything that was happening to him was the end of the world. After this incident, Perez Hilton was advocating the saying, "It gets better." Isn't it so sad to think that this boy thought this was so horrible he would never be able to feel good about himself again? If only he knew that life moves on and that it WILL get better - maybe he would have saved his life.

It hits home even more so now as a mom. I would never want Gabe to go through life thinking he was alone and that he couldn't stand living anymore. I'd want him to know how much support he has through Wil and I and all of our family and friends. I'd want him to take everything day by day. He'll have his happy moments and of course he'll have his sad moments. As his mom, i wish i could shield him from all the future pain i know he'll feel. But i know that's life - that's how he'll learn. He has to go through some of those rough times to appreciate what he has or to figure out where his happiness truly lies. But, although i have to accept that he'll cry, have broken hearts, be humiliated, get hurt, I hope to instill in him that "It gets better." I hope the love I feel for him is strong enough to give him his own strength and edurance to face anything in this world.