ACCEPTING A LESBIAN MOTHER

The authors present a model of children's responses to their mother's shift in identity from heterosexual to lesbian. Initially, many childr en read with denial or anger and later respond with bargaining. They m ay experience depression before accepting their mother as a lesbian. T he model is based on information gathered from workshops and in-depth interviews with lesbian mothers. Intervention strategies are proposed to help lesbian mothers support their children's responses and nurture their children's growth toward accepting their mother's lesbian ident ity.