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Expert Tells Parents How to Avoid and Address Homosexual Inclinations in Children

NEW YORK, November 17, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a recent interview with Zenit News Service, Father John Harvey, the founder of "Courage", a Catholic apostolate for adults with same-sex attractions, described for parents the roots and identifiers of homosexual inclinations. Moreover, Rev. Harvey, co-editor of "Same-Sex Attraction: A Parent's Guide" (available from Ignatius Press), also suggested several methods for working to correct the disorder among children.

Rev. Harvey suggests that among common precursors to homosexual tendencies are:
- the inability of the child to identify with the gender of the same-sex parent
- an overweening relationship with the opposite-sex parent (parent uses child as confidant and blocks access to same-sex parent)
- a failure to identify with members of one's own sex during childhood and adolescence
- a girl who perceives her mother as weak, because she always gave into her domineering father
- emotional and sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence

Signs for parents to watch out for in detecting problems with normal sexual development include:
For boys:
- a little boy who likes to dress up in girls' clothes
- boys who are loners and not involved in sports who spend much time on the Internet or with other loner boys
- boys whose close friends are all girls
- a distant relationship with the father, feminine mannerisms, prefers sisters to brothers

In girls problem indicators are hard to detect but Fr. Harvey suggests watching for adolescent girls who show no interest in being with young men, but, on the contrary, spends her time with a few other girls who also are not dating boys.

In terms of corrective measures, Rev. Harvey suggests parents who have noticed these developmental difficulties in childhood can encourage their child to spend more time with other children of the same sex. If the signs persist, Rev Harvey suggests consultation with "clinical psychologists and psychiatrists who agree with Catholic teaching that homogenital acts are always seriously immoral in the objective order."

See the full interview from Zenit News at:
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=44630

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