language

In Parts I, II, and III, you discovered that your children are second language learners when it comes to the rich idiomatic language of your gay culture. Have you begun your child's Gay Language immersion yet? If not, don't delay too much longer. Admittedly there are no workbooks at Barnes & Noble. There is no after-school Gay Language Program. And so far there are no gay language tutors out there. You’ll have to do it yourself. But if you don't, you could pay a price.

In Part I and Part II, we saw that gay idioms present various challenges for your straight children. But mastering them offers big payoffs too.

As a full-fledged member of the gay culture, you are fluent in the rich language of your heritage. But sometimes you forget that you are bilingual, and you lapse into your gay language at home. This can cause great consternation for your straight children who are listening and don’t understand.

Second-language acquisition research has shown that idiomatic expressions pose the biggest challenge for second language learners. Your children desperately want to share your special language, but like all second language learners, they take your idioms literally.