I loved it all until I came to the part that said, "And when you’re ready, I would give you a man worthy to be your lifelong partner and the father of your children."

I am a lesbian who didn't come out to myself until I was in college. Perhaps you already know your daughter is heterosexual, but for parents who are reading this (I am one now), there's no room for the possibility of a different outcome.

So perhaps you could say, "And when you’re ready, I would give you a person worthy to be your lifelong partner and the other parent of your children"?

Wow! I could have shared this at our awards banquet last night. Next year.

How outrageous of you to make this a soap box for your lesbian lifestyle,
This person wrote a poem from their heart to their daughter. If you did not like the
way it was worded keep your politics to yourself and tell them it was a very touching
poem full of love and wishes for THEIR daughter, not yours. Instead you just tell them
what you didn't like about it. Simply outrageous. You should apologize to the author
then feel free to write your own poem for your daughter from your heart. You can
word yours any way you see fit that works for lifestyle.

I don't think he mean't this literally for everyone. He wrote it for his daughter and wanted to share it with others. I don't have any daughters only sons.... so should I be upset if he is only referring to daughters?

Though I agree that this site is certainly not the place to voice personal lifestyle preferences, two thoughts (or maybe three) came to mind:
1. "...didn't come out until in college" - Was still young at that point.
2. "...am a parent now" - Interesting, a lesbian and still became a parent.
3. "...no room for a different outcome" - In spite of what WE may want for our children, as adults they will choose their own life paths. We all hope our early guidance will assist them in making the best choices they can for themselves. It's really not about us.

Thank you, Mr. Josephson, for sharing these beautiful thoughts with all of us.

Any of us (not just parents) who work with children would give them all of these things if we could.

Bonnie:
One could not possibly foresee everything that may change in a child's world. Yes, she may discover she is a lesbian later, but for now she has not indicated that. Would you have deleted references to "deep blue skies, pure white clouds, warm sunshine, cool breezes, stunning sunsets, glorious rainbows, and grand waterfalls" because they may one day be destroyed by nuclear war? If his daughter one day comes out as lesbian she will still value these words, regardless of gender or the condition of the world.

For everyone else:
I think you read more into Bonnie's comments than there was. I've read it four times and still can't see how you interpret so much anger and pontification. She seemed fairly polite and even used "perhaps" twice. Your comments say more about you than they do about Bonnie.

I think it's a good point to raise about the assumption that one's child is straight. This strengthens the prevailing ideology that heterosexuality is the default orientation and therefore homosexuality is aberrant. Imagine if one of Mr. Josephson's daughters were a lesbian (I'm in no position to know this so it's merely a hypothetical). How would she feel after reading this poem that he so lovingly wrote for her only to find that she couldn't live up to his expectation of the ideal life for her? Not to mention that the word 'man' doesn't add anything to the sentiment of the statement. The desire seems to be for his daughter to find a lifelong partner who would be worthy enough to help her raise a family.

I agree with James. When reading Bonnie's comment, I didn't feel she was being self-righteous or condemning to the poem or the writer, just considerate that any child may or may not be heterosexual or homosexual (it is not a choice you make on your own). The poem in saying "a man worthy to be your lifelong partner" makes what could be a naive assumption about its recipient that could make her feel "less worthy" if she were gay. I didn't see anger in Bonnie's post, but I did see it in a few others. Have a good day all. Kindness and consideration should be extended to all people, not just those who share your ideology or lifestyle.

I admit, after I finished the story and saw the first post, I was a little offended that someone would dare think they could tell Mr. Jospehson that his wise words were flawed and not written correctly.

Granted, Bonnie may have ment no harm. I think it's a little naive to think someone with degrees, years of psychology, and years of practice could be properly corrected by someone who does not specialize in the same things and wants to comment about their sexuality. I have listened to Michael J. for a lllooonnnggg time. And I try to use his words of wisdom constantly. I take it a little personal when someone tells him his work is off. Even if just by the tiniest fraction.

Almost like someone telling me my child walks funny. Not saying I think of Michael J. as family, but he's someone I have have listened to and trusted.