Daughter confused with sexuality

[Mumofthree]

Hi all, our daughter is almost 17 & told us a 6 weeks ago she’s confused and she thinks she might be attracted to females or maybe Bi.

This completely shocked me as she has always had boyfriends & dated her last boyfriend for over 2 years. 

We have always talked about boys, sex & everything. I’m finding it really awkward now and I don’t know how to approach conversations differently… I find I still say he’s cute or things like that because I know what boys she liked. 
We have told her we support her 100% & will always be here for her. 

Her issue is she doesn’t even know how to explore it to see if the feelings she is having are real. She said how can I be sure if I have never tried it. Does anyone have any suggestions? She has one friend she has spoken to but she doesn’t want anyone else to know as she doesn’t know herself yet. 

I suffer from anxiety & overthinking a lot…. My mind started instantly worrying about things that aren’t even an issue now & realistically won’t be an issue at all.
Is it normal for a parent to feel a little

lost at this time as well?

Hope this makes sense, thanks 🙏 

[Summer Rose]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

It’s so wonderful that your daughter feels comfortable talking to you about her sexuality. She’s really lucky to have an understanding and loving mum like you.

Given she’s confused and unsure about her next steps, perhaps you could suggest that she visit a local LGBTQ+ support group for teens. It would be a safe place for her to ask questions and meet other young people potentially experiencing the same issue. If she’s not comfortable going in person (given her privacy concerns) I’m sure there would be online communities available to her. I think it might be a good way for her to put her “toe in the water” and see where the experience takes her. 
I think it is “normal” for you  “to feel a little lost” right now, given she’s just shared something intensely private that you didn’t see coming. You may have even had a vision of how her life might play out (eg getting married to a man) and you’ve just found out that that might not happen—and that’s a big change.
Give yourself time to get your head around it. The important thing is you love each other and you continue to support her, as she needs you now more than ever. So keep communicating and loving her.
Rest assured, she will always be your girl, no matter who she chooses to love.

Kind thoughts to you

[Mumofthree]

Thank you so much for your reply Summer Rose I really needed it. 
I have mentioned to her about online groups so I think I’ll have a bit more of a look into that as well to give her some options. 
She loves kids and has always wanted her own, so I kind of did always just assume that would be with a man one day. 
Obviously I know that she will still be able to have kids, I just started thinking everything would be so much harder for her & costly. 
I think I just need to take a breath and work on one day at a time & not worry so much into the future. 
Thanks again ☺️