Q about coming out to children in extended family?

[meow]

Here are some great titles... (you can get them from Segment Publishing : Design.Develop.Host or Hares Hyenas queer bookshop or Amazon.com)
'Duke Who Outlawed Jellybeans' by Johnny Valentine (This one is EXCELLENT... its a collection of fairytales with gay and lesbian characters, really helps to 'normalise' gay and lesbians and same-sex relationships by not making a big deal out of it)
'Mummy Never Told Me' by Babette Cole (deal with many issues that parents amy not be comfortable explaining without the book, like why some woman love other woman)
Anything by Brenna and Vicky Harding
'Crabbing at High Tide' by Paul Ishiguchi (a picture book about a child and his dad going crabbing with their two gay uncles; helps explain that people in same-sex relationships are still the same people that they were before they 'came out').
'King and King' by Linda de Haan
'Molly's Family by Nancy Garden
'Daddy's roomate' by Michael Willhoite (Straightforward explanation of parents divorce and a new partner moving in with Daddy. The partner happens to be male and their relationship is 'just one more kind of love'.)

Thank you for this list!!! I was just about to start hunting for some children's books like this for my pre-school teacher & parenting kit

[beckles]

hi, my DH's best friend from grade 5 is gay, he and his partner (now they are married they had a commitment ceremony late last year which was beutiful - i was the 'best man'!) have been a big part of our lives including, of course, our kids. Josh who is nearly 13 asked about their relationship when he was about 5 i think the conversation went like this:

J: Mum are A & R brothers like me and Zak?
Me: No josh they are lovers like Dad and me.
J:What does that mean?
Me: Well it means they love each other like Dad and i love each other.
J: oh they love each other like you and Dad.
Me: that's right Josh.

That was how Josh found out about different kinds of families and how love can be found between men and women, men and men and women and women. DH and i hadn't even thought about it much it was just another normal friendship and when josh picked it up we answered his questions and moved on really. Eventually Zak picked up that they weren't what he saw alot of but i think that kids acceptance of situations, if treated normally, is usually easy and matter of factly. kids pick up on how their parents react and responded similiarly, positively or negatively, depending on the parents reaction. anyway that's my 2 cents worth.
beckles

[AnyDream]

Thanks everyone for your fantastic & considered replies. The consensus seems to be, as I suspected, to answer any questions as matter as factly as possible without making a big deal out of it. Leasha, that's an excellent list of resources, thanks very much for that.

Arte, yep I'm pretty proud of my sister and delighted that she can now step up for the happiness that she deserves !