My 11 year old daughter just came out to me

[Anonymous]

I think there are two main changes today from when many of us were kids: (1) it's now okay to express non-conventional thoughts about sexuality and (2) kids now have vocabulary to express these thoughts.

I think a lot of what we see are kids trying on identities as they sort out their thoughts, and that's normal. Kids have always had these thoughts, they just now feel free to express them without feeling like a big weirdo. Some kids have more to sort out than others. Some kids are more boy/girl crazy than others. Some kids aren't all that interested, but are happy to join in as it's a topic of conversation amongst their peers. (I remember not particularly caring who liked who in 5th grade, but joined in because it was the topic du jour amongst my peers.)

OP, just tell your daughter you love her regardless of who she loves and you're there to support her as she grows into a strong and confident adult.