Sometimes our children take us places we are not prepared to go!

Not everyone on the street was happy with the prospect of two gay men moving in. One neighbor was particularly distressed about what to tell her children about the new neighbors. Matters only worsened when the two men adopted a little baby from Guatemala. Now, the neighbor had to find a way to explain a family with two fathers, a baby and no mother. In her confusion, she mostly ignored the two dads and the little boy. She instructed her children to stay close to home.

Things began to take a turn when the little boy, Tomas, turned two and developed a passion for baseball. Every night when the two dads came home they played baseball with him on the front sidewalk. Night, after night, they tossed the baseball and Tomas gamely tried to hit the ball with his big yellow bat. Soon, Tomas friend Aaron, and his mother and father joined in the fun. There was lots of loud shouting in the evening and plenty of parental encouragement for pitching, catching, and hitting the ball. Soon, chairs appeared on the lawn for the cheering section. Even neighbors with grown children showed up for the fun and excitement.

Spontaneous plans were made for taking the children to a real baseball game. Word progressed up and down the street that the dads and their sons were going to the Brewers game on Thursday night. One bright mom suggested that if both of Tomas dads were going then it was clear that spouses were to be included.

This week the two boys from across the street were allowed to join the nightly pick-up game with their dad who suggested that once in a while the street team could play an "away" game in their yard across the street. Next week a new family will join the trek to Miller Park for the Brewers game. As the mother of one of the two dads, I can say that at first, I was not thrilled about becoming an activist for human rights. It was my love for my son and future grandchildren that propelled me out of my closet and into the street. The two dads were not overly thrilled at having to play baseball with Tomas every night. They never really enjoyed team sports when they were younger. I suspect the nervous mother across the street would prefer her children not play with the two dads as it upsets her comfort level but she made the stretch.

Some families have a mom and a dad, some have two moms, some have two dads and some have one mom or one dad. But for this street in Milwaukee, everyone is having a lot more fun this summer and privately, they might just consider these special two dads an asset in their neighborhood. Yet the real lesson is about the great lengths we, as parents, go for our children and that we are willing, in our love, to let them take us to places where we need to be! Good things happen when our families venture out in the open!