Mom explains 'coming out' to her Gen Alpha kids and people are praising her for it
"Making it clear from the start that it’s more than ok to be who you are is my favorite parenting style."
Mom explains 'coming out' to her kids.
Coming out stories can be filled with joy or pain depending on the support a person feels from their family and friends. There are some people in the LGBTQ+ community that have never had to come out, though that seems to be a rarity. That may be changing in the future for younger generations, however, as each generation is generally more socially liberal than the generations before them.
The current parents giving birth and raising young children are millennials and older Gen Zers. Both of these generations get a lot a flack for how social justice-oriented and emotionally aware they are, so it would make sense that their children would experience different social norms.
Emmaline Carroll Southwell recently uploaded a video of her explaining what coming out means to her young Gen Alpha kids. Coming out is a term used to describe when a member of the LGBTQ community tells people in their lives that they're LGBTQ for the first time. This is a concept that Southwell's children don't comprehend as being necessary, so she tries to fill in the blanks for them.
"In some families, cultures and religions, you're not allowed to be gay," Southwell says as her kids immediately chime in with a surprised, "What? Why?" before she continues. "Yes, and so there is the term 'coming out,' [it] applies to people who need to come out to their families to let them know, 'I'm gay.'"
One of the kids in the backseat asks, "But why do they have to tell them?" They seem to be genuinely confused on why that would be important information to share with families. The mom explains that some families disown their children or have other negative reactions. Her children remain shocked throughout the entire conversation not understanding how who someone loves could cause a negative response from their family members. Commenters praise the mom and expressed hope for the future.
"Awww the babies. This actually made me hopeful for future generations," one person writes.
"You made my day, as a gay man and teacher, more hopeful. Blessed be you and your kids," another says.
"I absolutely love seeing your conversations with your children. They’re so so intelligent and caring and kind. You’re doing the best job mama," someone shares.
"From someone who was disowned by their family, thank you for making your family a safe place for all love," a commenter reveals.
"Making it clear from the start that it’s more than ok to be who you are is my favorite parenting style," another person praises.
This mom's open conversation with her children is giving people a much needed dose of hope and seems to be providing a little healing for some. Maybe in the future far fewer people will find themselves needing to come out to their families and simply know they'll be loved for who they are.
- Father responds to his daughter coming out with a master class in dad jokes ›
- My wife surprised her coworkers when she came out as trans. Then they surprised her. ›
- Meet some real-life dads who responded to their kids coming out in the best way possible. ›
- Elderly military veteran comes out as gay in his obituary - Upworthy ›
- Trans woman shares grandmother's moving reaction to coming out - Upworthy ›
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."