Organic apples, bananas, coconut milk ice cream and popcorn for the boys. We finished our quick grocery store shop and as we’re leaving, a lady stops me.

I thought she’d be asking me for the time, or where the nearest liquor store is.

No… in a thick accent, she asks what I think about the schools talking to kids about gays and lesbians.

I’m wondering what she means – is it a bad thing to talk about? Is she for or against this? Is she asking me what my views are?

I tell her that I talk to my kids about sexuality with honesty and openness. If they ask questions, I’ll give them answers in a simple, matter-of-fact manner. When it comes to homosexuality, the answer is as easy as – some boys like boys, some girls like girls.

The lady seems annoyed. She says it’s too young for the kids to understand this kind of thing and is very much against the schools talking to the kids about gays and lesbians. She thinks children are too young to know anything about homosexuality.

I tell her my son is 9 and he knows. She find it hard to believe!

So to prove it, I ask my son, doesn’t your friend like other girls?

“Yes,” my son replies.

The woman is flabbergasted. She replies, “Nooooo, she doesn’t really know who she likes….”

My son responds, “Oh yes she does, she likes a few girls actually.”

Obviously not the answer this woman is looking for.

She started rambling something else but I took the kids and left. She was obviously looking for someone to agree with her views.

As we are walking to our car, my son says, “Why can she open her mind, mom?”

This – from a 9 year old.

I wonder the same thing.

If you talk about sexuality and homosexuality with your kids openly and honestly, you’ll help to instill in your child a sense of tolerance, acceptance and respect for others.

It’s very simple to tell your child – “you know a man and a woman can love each other? Well so can a man and a man or a woman and a woman. We respect people of different cultures and religions, we also respect people who are homosexual.”

Your child will probably listen and then be off to do something else. Although it’s not a ‘big talk’, it’s a simple and honest discussion to start with.

If you make talking about sexuality taboo, your kids will follow suit – but if you have discussions early, your kids will likely have healthy attitudes when they are young men and women.

Have you been asked by your children about homosexuality? How do you approach the talk about sexuality and homosexuality with your kid?