Leaving Home

John and I spent many hours discussing how to draw the line. Our greatest concern was our three younger boys still at home, we couldn't allow this influence in our home. Those were some of the most heart wrenching decisions and moments of our lives. How could we “kick” a child out into the big, scary world? That is what we felt like we were doing but it wasn't. The choice was his. Rick was welcome to stay IF he would abide the standards we set for our home. He chose not to follow those guidelines, it meant that he made the choice to leave. Those standards did not require him to change his lifestyle. We didn't want him to be homosexual, we still don't, but changing was not a requirement to live at home. Our standard was basic decency, respecting us and respecting everyone else in the house. In fact, we would have had the same discussion if he chose to be heterosexual. We didn't believe in pre-marital sex so if a son was sneaking a girl into our home we would have reacted the same. If another child brought in inappropriate movies, drugs or alcohol into our home, we would have reached the same decision.

A few weeks before he turned eighteen, we made an extremely difficult decision and told him that if he would not keep the standards we had set for our home, he would have to move out. This was a tough choice and not one we wanted to make. Every day we could keep him home and help him feel loved, was a day that kept him from fully entrenching himself in this lifestyle. However, a few days before his eighteenth birthday, he left home.