My posting schedule has definitely decreased, and I apologize for that! In the midst of closing on a house and being pregnant, I let this blog slip down on my list of priorities. At the same time, I think there is a lot to think about while being an expecting queer Jewish couple.
1. One of the biggest questions is, will we ever find the "right" Jewish and queer community/communities to raise our child in? What kind of environment are we wanting to raise the baby? Will it be Jewish enough? Queer enough? Moving to a new place and finding community has been a struggle, and we're still working on it. Will it be harder or easier with a child? We are working with a few local groups to build community around queer parenting, but it has been a struggle. While we know tons of people with kids, they are scattered all over the world. We are slowly meeting other expectant couples, but it's hard to make new friends.
Have you had this experience? What did you do?
2. I keep comparing Denver and Atlanta and the possibility of LA or Israel, for the reasons above, but also I wonder about Jewish education. If we send our child(ren) to day school, will we be the lone queer family? But if we send our child(ren) to a public school, how will our kids' relationship with Judaism suffer or grow stronger? We want our children to grow up in a strong Jewish home with a solid Jewish identity.
Have you debated the same thing? What did you decide?
3. Everyday I wonder about the world we are bringing children into. I am afraid for us as a queer couple, as a Jewish queer couple, as a society. Things are scary out there, and I can't prevent bad things from happening. Is this just the normal worry of parents? Will I always feel this? I feel particularly concerned right now just with everything going on in the world, and I wonder if it's just because I'm thinking about this growing being inside me or if I would think about it anyway.
How do you balance the bad with the good in your life?
I know this is a short post after so long, but I feel like I'm just coming up with more questions than answers these days. Thoughts?
