#brony parenting

[bronymom]

Let's talk - fan mail answer..

I was recently sent the following, so rather than just post a name, since he was seeking advice, I thought I would cut and paste. That way he deals with this is his time, and not someone else's.

submitted:

Hi there! I Just found your blog, and I was hoping you and/or your son could help me? I’ve really been wanting to go to Bronycon(I live right in Maryland, so it’s fairly affordable too), but I have done my utmost to keep enjoying a show a secret since getting into it in season 1, reason being my parents are incredibly judgmental. I love them to death, and they mean well, but they were positive I was gay for weeks after I bought a bunch of Queen CDs, I can’t imagine the assumptions they’d make if I told them I like My Little Pony and want to go to a pony convention. Especially since my mom’s the kind who likes to do research on google about any topic I show interest in, so I have no doubt will find the bad stuff and misinformation, and my dad’s mildly homophobic and quick to judge, so you can imagine how that might go.

Needless to say that borrowing the car to drive downtown on the weekend would kind of merit explaining, so the cat’s likely coming out of the bag soon. I appreciate the post from your son, and I was hoping one or both of you would be willing to go a little more in-depth on the subject so I can keep what should be a minor thing from blowing up into a family scandal? Are there any specific questions you had in your mind - both voiced and in your head - when your son told you, and how would you two suggest responding to them?

Thank you both for any help you can offer!

RESPONSE

Hello, thanks for asking!

BronyMom says:

First and foremost, do not leave your mom to search the internet alone. This was the single biggest mistake my Brony made. I cannot stress it enough. Also, while I am sure the Brony dvd/blu-ray is great for Bronies, it is not a great way to introduce your family to the fandom. Please save that for a later day!

I think the biggest question I had was WHY. So, before you have the conversation with mom or dad or both, do some soul searching and have a good answer. If you don't, it becomes simply about cartoon ponies that are geared towards little girls. Make sure they know about the morals and values that this fandom stands for. Talk to them about the charitable side of Bronies. How they stand united for good causes all over the world. Have a list of pro's. Trust me they will have the list of con's.  Because I had never heard of a Brony before my son (not so gently told me) I honestly immediately thought there was a serious issue with him. He knows I honestly thought he was gay. I have never hidden that. I hurt him because I verbalized it and I have apologized several times (but as a mom you just cannot take that back). I had one young man simply print out my very first blog "Congratulations It's a Brony" and give it to his mom. It seemed to work well for him.

http://www.bronymom.com/post/75542705289/congratulations-its-a-brony

Your mom can also contact me, I will be more than happy to talk with her. I messed up my relationship with my son, I hope to help other mothers not follow that needless path.

Offer to take her to BronyCon if she shows interest. I learned so much about all the wonderful things the fandom had to offer if given a chance, right at BronyCon!

I hope that helped. My biggest question was WHY. My biggest fear became that my son would be ostracized due to the fan base.

  BronySon says: 

First of all, don't get defensive about what they have to say. Don't cut them off let them have their say. Then explain any adversity they may have away in a calm manner. Do not get mad and walk away! Doing so, reinforces that there is something wrong with your being a Brony. Stay calm no matter what they have to say. If at first, you cannot get your point across to suit you, leave it where it stands and revisit it in a few days. Remember, this could be a shock to them if they have never heard of the Brony fandom.

Search out positive sites on the internet before your initial talk, that way you will have good places to send them for information.

Be positive, they may not understand you at first, but no matter what they will love you and ultimately, I hope come to support your decision.

No matter how they react, remain the same person you were before you told them. Help them to see that you are still the exact same person you were before. Tell the how long you have already been a Brony (so they don't start blaming everything in your life on the fandom).

Please know that you can contact us, we will try our best to help you through.

[bronymom]

Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent. Love and Tolerate it.. I love him so I will tolerate IT.

Coming off my horrible happy place experience has put me in my place. I love my Brony, so I will tolerate this darn Brony thing until it goes away. I am NOT on board at this moment. Just going to accept the fact I cannot control it.

I am trying to understand, I am not being very successful of it, but I am at the very least making an attempt. Life is to short to not. One windy day on the beach taught me that. I will not make snide comments about the Brony factor that is always looming over my head. I will try to be more supportive if someone says off color things. TRY being my key word. I am committed to my son, but not the whole Brony culture thing.

My Brony seems somewhat happier now. A bit more forthcoming with information about the "school experiences" of being a Brony. To be honest with you, they just make me mad. Make me mad at that school for failing to make a safe environment for my child. Mad that he cannot leave the Brony part at home and make school a learning environment only for himself. He tells me.."Mom, it's to late for that, they all know, and they are not going to let it die. So why should I not be myself. At least I am happy with myself!" touché.

I have come to truce with Dashie the backpack. She grins at me from behind my Brony, and I endure it. I now have come to the conclusion that my distain for Dashie is not the stuffed pony she is, it is what she represents, and what she represents is the Brony Culture on a whole for me. She has become the brunt of my feelings for this whole fandom. I must deal with the fact that Dashie will be a part of my life as long as the Brony is a Brony.

I have now quit asking him to leave the fandom, thinking foolishly, that surely this will be coming to an end on it's own very soon. I have raised children before, nothing lasts for long in their lives before they move on to the next mission. Hence the attic full of toys that the boy just had to have and left behind.

I pray for a quick May. I just want the Brony out of school and out of torment for the summer. He talks to me now about the horrible things being said to him. My guts twist in agony when he does. I know that this isn't new...it cannot be. He asks me to not get involved. He knows I will NOT handle it in a Brony type way. I give him that much. I pray I am doing the right thing. (later I would realize, he just needed to voice his pain, and with all that had happened in our last few months, he was at least having the sympathetic mother's ear...more than he had before)

I tried to not be so judgmental, for I finally realized he was not only being judged in public and school, but I was guilty of it too. I have to admit here, I still totally blamed the fandom for all of this. This Brony crap had led me to judge my own son. This Brony crap had led me to not be a good parent. This Brony crap was CRAP. It was easy to blame someone or something else for my own shortcomings .. it was easier for me to accept what I had done in the shadow that they had caused it. It was easier for me to tie it up in a pretty little Brony box and slap a bow of guilt on the entire fandom.

The Brony did his part as well, on major family outings, Dashie stayed home. The Brony ball cap did not. But, hey, the Pony did! When his sister (who had overcome almost dying) graduated college against all odds this same year, Dashie stayed home. The Brony started picking and choosing better as the where it was acceptable to wear his buddy, and I was quick to acknowledge and praise.

We had found a happy medium. He would be a Brony.. he would love and tolerate the entire world. I would be his mother, I would love him and tolerate the dang ponies and the DVR having a child's show recorded on it. I still did not see why he would choose to love this show. I still did not realize why he would want to be associated with cartoon ponies. I still did not understand the great importance of this in his life. He knew that, he just kept quiet and allowed me my space with it. He just kept to what he believed in and prayed that I would come to understand. I assured him I would NEVER understand. I could not understand why grown men would sit around and watch a little kid show on HUB. I had never watched on. I had no intent on doing so. This was a child's show and I did not have time for it. I prayed he would mature quickly out of this phase. I prayed my son would grow up and realize that there was not a cartoon on this planet that was worth your self-esteem. To me, that was what was happening. This show and this fandom was ruining all he was. He was but a shell of what he was before the admission of Brony. So I just sat back and tolerated from a distance. Biding my time. WAITING...as patiently as I could.

[bronymom]

Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent! Perception is EVERYTHING

*this was how I saw the next few months of my life, it was all based on perception, and we all know that perception is everything in the moment. I know these were wrong but ultimately they did help me find a better understanding*

Our lives now fall in to a dreadful pattern. The Brony has, of course, at this time come out of his Brony closet and the entire community knows. His friends know, his classmates know, our family knows. Everyone is aware, but I cannot bring myself to accept it, or defend it. Whenever someone asks me about it, I simply say, "you know teenagers it is a phase or fad." I refuse to talk to people about the Brony status of our household. I know absolutely nothing about it, except for cartoon ponies and all the bad that I had found on my initial internet search. Moreover, I didn't want to know or learn. I just wanted it to go away.

His friends act indifferent to it, when they come around. Which is almost never. If he tries to talk to me about it I change the subject, though I rarely see him anymore. He comes home from school and heads directly to his room. His school work is faltering, he is so darn interested in his ponies he isn't keeping up. His classmates ridicule him and call him every vulgar form of the word "gay" that there is. When he tries to talk to me about it, instead of doing what I should, I tell him to quit wearing the stuff, quit acting in a way that makes them question your sexuality, ending with what do you expect. He walks around telling people he is Brony, wearing all this MLP stuff. He goes to school with farm boys. These boys break horses, not wear them. (hindsight here, this kills me to think I allowed him to suffer this without my support, now I want to break there little rednecks) I should have taken a stand beside him. Instead, I warned him that by wearing these things he was asking to have the crap beat out of him. He no longer is happy with life. He no longer finds things to do with people from school. The Brony is hardly ever out in the real and now. When I ask him to go places with me, he tells me he is busy.

This stupid fandom was risking my sons very existence. These guys that were supposed to be all love and tolerate, would have my son served up for a good old fashion lynching. I cannot understand the draw for him to this fandom. Obviously he was a happier young man before the Brony life. He talks to some guys on the internet, my fist thought, this is great, he has no idea who he is talking to, probably some creepers that will drag him even farther down or worse.

My son is falling apart at the seams. He is but a shell of who he once was. My happy go lucky child is now sad and distressed. He lives a life of complete solitude. He walks with no spunk in his step. He simply shuffles through life. This Brony stuff is taking it's toll on him. He is about to be completely lost. I am at my wits end. I am losing my child to this dark fandom of men. I sometimes wonder if my child is so lost that he cannot be found again. I feel like his life is laying around me in ruins. This Brony stuff has become my worst nightmare. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever have my son back. I know I have to figure this out. I just don't even know where to start. The internet was not kind to me on my last search. My son barely speaks to anyone anymore. I have no place to turn. All I can do is pray this phase passes quickly.

Winter is coming to a close, with that brings new hope. Spring! I am sure he will want to spend more time with his friends once the weather breaks! March opens with a renewed hope for me. I am sure that with the closing of winter, there will be no way he wants to stay indoors. We will surely be headed in the right direction.

Our family in general has a huge set back the month of March. Our Brony has to learn to deal with how horrible life can turn in a instant. His 24 year old sister has a simple surgery, wisdom teeth removed. Within 36 hours of a "routine" procedure, she is on life support, fighting to survive. Seems a lack of antibiotics from her oral surgeon led to sepsis. I am living at a hospital with my daughter and her fiancée. The Brony is at home helping take care of his niece. He steps up, he comes back out of his shell. He does whatever is asked of him. I sit in that hospital room, listening to the sounds of the ventilator and the monitors. I am so far from the Brony world right now, that I almost forget I have that issue at all. The Brony begs to be driven to the hospital, he needs to see with his own eyes. He stands next to the bed where his sister is lifeless, machines making her body work. Aware of the risk our family is in, he walks up to that ICU bed, holds her tethered hand and cries. He knows all to well the dangers we are facing. For a brief moment I wish he could escape to Equestria, away from the reality facing us. The next few weeks will be spent in hospitals, and then in trying to get his sister back to speed. We pull together as a family. No pony left behind. While the sister is in hospital, finally awake finally responding she talks to me. She tells me, mom, seriously you have to stop being so hard on the PonyBoy. You have to understand this is something he believes in. Seriously mom, think about it, he isn't doing anything wrong or bad. BOY, the drugs must be messing with this girl. She has no idea how wrong her perception of this situation is.

When we are finally able to come home we find the Brony is not quite back to the boy he was before, but he is also no longer running from me. Life has changed. But, we are all together.

The sister has started to get better, The Brony is spending more time downstairs with the rest of the family. The family is starting to act like a family! Dashie the backpack has for the first time seen an element of harmony in her new family. I notice a turn in the Brony. He seems less Bronified in his attire and in how he handles himself in public. It feels toned down. It feels more calm. Perception is everything, but who's perception.

**I want to take a moment here (just in case a parent has started to read in the middle of these to explain a few things) I need to stress that the BRONY lifestyle and culture had nothing to do with my son's issues, it was simply my perception of things. My inability to look at the whole picture of my life, my inability to take responsibility for my own actions. Please continue reading to find the complete and true story**

[bronymom]

Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent! Attack of the Dashie Hug me backpack

Christmas has come and past. Dashie the Hug Me Backpack has become the Brony's most prized possession. It is EVERYWHERE. He takes it with him like it is his best friend. I cringe every time I look at the crazy thing. There it is, with that cute plastered grin. That you were so wrong, I won this..grin. How is it possible that my son will not be separated from a backpack? How did it happen that this backpack, that my family assured me would be a room decoration, became a part of my every waking moment. Dashie sitting in a chair. Dashie hanging next to the door. Dashie on his back. Dashie Dashie Dashie stuck to him like glue.

I am constantly asking him to please take it upstairs. I use any excuse I can think of (always putting it in dire circumstances if he doesn't). What if the dogs chew it up. What if the babies get it and ruin it. What if, What it, What if. Ultimately I know it's not going anywhere, I just keep praying this will be the day he decides he is over dragging the backpack along.

The backpack becomes his way to come out to the world that he is a Brony. It becomes a way to show the world who he is and what he is about. Dashie has become his symbol of bronyism. (and he would have to have the rainbow one) Dashie is his flagrant way of putting himself on display, and he has never been happier. I on the other hand have never been more distraught. Stupid little stuffed pony is making me nuts.  

It goes to school with us in the car, now mind you, it doesn't go into the school as he can only have one backpack and it is not large enough to carry books and such. Besides that we mustn't risk Dashie being destroyed in a locker smooshing accident. No Dashie must either stay at the grandparent's house for that will be where the bus drops him off, or ride along with me to work. GRRRRR. Yes, I have on several occasions looked into my rearview mirror, only to find that adorable little creature sitting, glaring at me, from the backseat. Taunting me.. My little nemesis. I have thought about ditching the backpack on the occasion we are left in the car alone. I have given serious thought to how to explain it away. I am not that horrible of a person, so I do not act. Little Dashie smiles her all knowing smile from the backseat. She knows what I want to do, she also knows I will not do it.

On the weekends, he wears the backpack nonstop. I swear I think he wears the darn thing to sleep. If he is going for a walk, so is Dashie. If he is going to shoot airsoft, Dashie is his second in command. Going to Church, well Dashie must be the head of the Choir. So much for keeping this out of the public spotlight. When we get ready to go someplace I wince as Dashie is placed on his back. I ask for him to leave it. When I do, it goes but it doesn't leave the car. If I don't ask, it gets worn in. People stare. Brony doesn't care, I do.

The backpack smiles gleefully along. Always flipping smiling at my embarrassment. Yes, I admit it, embarrassment. I cringe when I see a client walking in my direction. I swear I can almost read their minds. What the heck is wrong with her kid. How old is he. What is he wearing. Why does she let him wear that thing in public. He wears his pony swag with grace, if only I could handle it gracefully. My grace is by ignoring. I act like that backpack does not exist. People probably think I am just as crazy. I offer no explanation, I simply ignore it. I simply ignore the snide remarks under the breaths of others. The snickers, the whispered voicing of disapproval, the stares or worse yet the outright comments to his face. (now really I should have stood up for my son, I love him, I love everything about him. Hindsight is 20/20) I excused my behavior by reassuring myself, I told him this would happen. I told him people would not accept it. I told him to not put himself out there. He has to learn to conform to public opinion. If he wants to be accepted, he has to "fit in". He doesn't care how big the venue, or how small the gathering, Rainbow Dash is invited. As a matter of fact, Rainbow Dash it he guest of honor, because, heaven knows that not one person can miss it!

What I thought was I was doing so right on Christmas, was destroying my sanity. This Christmas gift that was my Brony's most prized possession was becoming my own personal nightmare. Looking back at it now, I am sure that the backpack to him was a symbol I was coming around. To him that backpack meant that I was at the very least trying to understand and accept. In reality, that backpack had become my arch-enemy. My world was crumbling out of my control, and the pony just grinned through it all.

Yes, That Rainbow Dash Hug Me Backpack was always there, always looming in the shadows of my life. Lurking, staring, grinning... waiting for the right time. Waiting to attack.

[bronymom]

Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent! All I want for Christmas is ... MLP???

My Brony came to me with his disclosure in order to make his Christmas wish list a bit easier for me to understand. Christmas of 2011 had been filled with airsoft guns, video games and Vans. This was a typical teenage boy's Christmas list. I spent hours pouring over AirSplat in search of the perfect airsoft gun. Visions of  A Christmas Story in my head (you'll shoot your eye out). Now, it is 2012 and life has changed. He still loves his airsoft guns, he also now loves PONIES. The Christmas list is full of Brony t-shirts, sweatshirts, mlp figures and a backpack (dun da dah). I now spend my hours staring at We Love Fine. I just don't know if I can do it. His sisters are on board. They have already started planning the perfect Christmas gifts. They have no problems with t-shirts with MLP adorned all over them. They see no problems with plushies and figures. So, why do I?

I sit there, looking over We Love Fine and Hot Topic. I am sick to my stomach. My BOY wants things to place on his body and tell the world "I AM A BRONY", moreover, he wants me to finance it. I feel like scrooge. I don't want to buy this stuff, and yet this is all he has put on his list. I need a compromise. I call to the Brony. I need him to honestly look at this stuff. I need him to honestly tell me he is crazy enough to wear this stuff. Sure I see the models wearing it, but I know for a fact they were paid to act like they loved it. Seriously, there is no way any male would wear this..right? WRONG, my son wants it. I compromise with myself, I have to give him a good Christmas, so I compromise Keep Calm and Brony On. Okay, it's a slogan, maybe people will simply ignore it.

Then his eyes sparkle..THERE IT IS! The backpack. I really want that, he points the screen. It looks like a stuffed animal you put on your back. REALLY! How old are you! No mom, it's for adults. I think there is no way this is for adults. I go to the description. OH WOW, it's for adults. Fits up to a men's 3X, a pocket for your cellphone or IPod. No way dude. Not happening. No stuffed animal backpacks. I cannot make myself want to buy this. He is disappointed, I can tell. I am a jerk. He leaves the room looking like I just kicked his dog (or dashed his pony).

 I compromise with the Rainbow Dash sweatshirt (yes the one that has the wings and rainbow mane) and two Keep Calm shirts he wants. Hoping he will not wear them in public. I order the items, then off to amazon .. I want to surprise him with a Key Board. I know he can teach himself to play it, he is awesome like that. I need to get away from these pony toys and clothes. Maybe we should try a new airsoft gun as well!

Days pass, that darn Rainbow Dash hug me backpack is looming in the back of my mind. I know he wants it. I have never ever not given the most prized gift. I have never in his entire life, not been the hero at Christmas. (except for the year his sister wanted a REAL pony) I talk to the sisters, I talk to the dad, I talk to the grandparents, everyone is in agreement. Get the Hug Me backpack. It will probably be a room decoration. Why had I not realized that! He wasn't going to wear it, he was going to display it! Oh crisis adverted. (Looking back here, they all knew the truth of what the outcome would be, I was only fooling myself)

I order the backpack. Both relief and regret as I hit submit. My consolation, I will still hold the queen of the Christmas gifts!

I come home to THE box sitting on the front porch. I open the box and peer in. There it is..wrapped up like a prize in We Love Fine tissue paper. I take it out carefully, like I was going to awaken the sleeping dragon. I unwrap it slowly. There it is.. There is Rainbow Dash smiling at me in victory. Stupid pony! What have I done! I place it back in the paper, back in the box. I mull over the fact I could send it back. Return label included. NO. I am victorious here. I wrap it, put it under the tree. Then, as soon as the Brony gets home I point to the gifts placed there with his name on them. I have no way to back out now. He is aware there are wrapped gifts for him. I know this is for my own peace of mind. It takes away that urge to return it.

Christmas eve, he opens the Rainbow Dash sweatshirt. He is in heaven! He walks around like he owns his own little piece of Equestria. He wears it to the family Christmas party. Deep breathing, and the knowledge it is only family helps me. This is his extended family, surely no one will judge. Wrong. Cousins ridicule, snickers behind his back, blatant what are you wearing! This is exactly what I thought would happen, just not here! He doesn't care. He prances around proudly in his Dashie sweatshirt. I am ready for the party to be done. (hindsight, I should have not said, I told you so. I should have told those idiots of our family to shut up and deal with it in their own PRIVATE way)

Christmas morning comes, he is excited about all the gifts he opens. The keyboard and gun, both HITS. Then the box, the prized gift, I know Rainbow Dash is smirking buried deep in that wrapping paper. I know victory is about to be handed over to ponies. I have watched his reaction to every MLP gift this year. He tears the paper, he carefully opens the box. He is elated! Dashie is victorious! To my dismay, he jumps up, hugs the backpack to himself and puts it on. Crap. Then he runs to me, wraps his arms around me and says thank you mom. THANK YOU. I LOVE IT. I LOVE YOU. Well now, that was a brief view of my son. That was a glimpse of what I once had!

I am unsure if I am defeated or best mom ever. I know, somehow, my love hate relationship with Dashie the backpack was not over. I glare Dashie staring over his shoulder, Dashie smiles ever so cute back at me.

Merry Christmas Brony. You win this round! Mom will take the loss today, after all it is Christmas.

[bronymom]

Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent! Time to start placing blame.

Our days have turned they are now filled with denial by myself and a sense of solitude for my Brony. When he would start to talk to me about MLP, I would tell him really I am a big girl, I don't watch cartoon ponies. When he would be on the internet and laugh out loud at something blaring through his headphones, I would give him the "really" look. He was doing what I asked, he had not told anyone else of the MLP fandom. He was silently building his way to the Brony world.

The day came, I am bored and looking for something good to watch on the DVR. I start scrolling through the recorded programming. There staring back at me hours and hours of MLP:FiM. Oh no, oh no no no no no. He is not going to use my resources to do this, wait until he gets home from school. I wanted to believe that the recording were for his niece when she came over, but I knew deep down that was not the case. Nope, that little pocket of MLP recordings snuggly nestled between recording from The History Channel and the Military Channel were HIS.I am aggravated I just want him to stop this whole thing. It is stupid, it is strange and it is making me crazy. The minute he gets home, I bombard him with questions. He doesn't flinch, he admits the recording are his. Well, are you going to delete them? He says I can, no I want him to do it. I want him to see the craziness in the fact he is doing it. I want him to NOT want to watch them. He doesn't pick up the remote to delete, he just shut me off and walks upstairs. I walk the opposite direction, telling myself I will delete them another time. I know I have hurt him. I know deep down that part of my reaction was wrong. I also know that I want him to stop this. I want him to grow up to be a man. This was the child who never fed into drama. Never started drama, didn't get involved in the drama of others and just lived his life like a summer breeze. Carefree and warm.

Our lives had turned to a very different pattern in the weeks that followed the Brony admission. I would wake him up for school, he would get ready in silence, he would put on his headphones and wait for his ride. He would come home from school, and go directly upstairs. He no longer watched t.v. in the main living area. He no longer offers to help with cooking, we all eat in silence as he no longer shares his day. He no longer had his friends coming over, he no longer interacted with other members of the family, from what I could tell he was barely interacting with anyone. He no longer craved attention, my comedian had lost his laugh. He was changing. I start searching for a reason. He is changing...hum. When did it start...hum. I know when it started. It started when he brought the word BRONY into this house. It is those Bronies. See, I am right. These Bronies are out to ruin my child. My child is changing and I sure don't like the direction he is changing in. This Brony crap has got to stop. I will stop it. I will reclaim my child. He was better off with out all this stuff. All these people proclaiming to be good. Now he is just a shell of who he was, I must save my child! I must save my child from himself! If only I can make him see, if only I can make him realize, if only..then I can get my son back. Then life will be NORMAL and he will be back to NORMAL.

Things have started to shift in our world, and I am sure it is the pull of the Bronies that have caused it all.

Keep calm, Carol. You are up to this challenge. Keep calm and help your boy understand how irrational all of this is. Save him from this cult before he is completely suck in and lost forever.

(if I had only knew then what I know now)

[bronymom]

Upcoming Blogs.... Confessions of a Bad Brony Parent

The upcoming blogs are my Bad Brony Parenting mistakes. I implore that all of you to realize, I now know the errors I made. I know that I did many things wrong here, yet I still maintain I did them for all the right reasons... I love my son. I know it was not just bad Brony parenting, but a horrible judgment on my part.

I ask the forgiveness of the Brony community, just as I had to ultimately ask forgiveness of my son. I did exactly what many Brony families do. I am putting it out there for a couple of reasons. One, to let parents be aware of how their actions can be damaging to their own Bronies. Two, to help Bronies understand what their parents are going through. Knowing is half the battle. I made mistakes, sure, the Brony made his share as well. I will end this series with a blog from the Brony. A blog of what he would have done differently in this process if he could go back. The one thing that most Bronies forget, we as parents do not know or understand. We have to be taught, we have to learn. This is not our generation, it is yours. We do not understand all that you crazy kids do! We need EDUCATION! We need to be educated on what to expect from this Brony Culture. If you don't explain it, I guarantee that most of the information that is out there for your parents to come across is BAD. BRONIES.. do not under any circumstances tell your mother to "google it!" Remember unlike you, we only know what we read. We have no idea where to go to get true information. This is first and biggest mistake that Bronies and Brony Parents make.

My son, in true Brony fashion, calls this my "learning phase". I am grateful for his forgiveness in it all. I am not proud of what I did or how I felt. But, I did it, none the less. I only hope someone else can learn from our mistakes. If one Brony makes a reconnection with their family or one family starts out accepting from the beginning, I will consider myself successful. I will consider my mission to not be in vain. Some of this is funny, some of this is just brutal honesty. I will not lie about my feelings in the beginning. If I do that, I will be doing a disservice to why I feel these blogs are so important.

The upcoming blogs will be the very stressful journey to becoming BronyMom.

[bronymom]

A Parent's Journey to BronyCon part 3 (Come at me Brony)

Now comes the part that I am most disgusted in myself for. Now comes the time I need COMPLETE forgiveness and kindness for. Now comes that time that I need the Brony community to help me wipe from my past. This is my personal embarrassment, but none the less, it is also part of my Brony journey. It is an important part.

I am an angry mom on a mission. I have had almost a month to rethink this whole Brony thing. I am UPSET. This fandom is ruining my son. My son is no longer the person he was before this. I am going to collect as much information as I can. I am going to go into this con with reinforcements. I am going to collect information and I am going to convince my son to leave this in his past. Enough is enough. If he stays in the group, he is doomed. I will not stand by and watch my child be destroyed by a bunch of MLP fans. This is crazy! I made him promise me... the only thing he had to do was go to one panel with me. ONE. "So I raised a teenage Brony" (unknown to him, I expected them to give me the answers and help me get him away from the clutches of the Brony culture.) *side note, every parent who has been told they have a Brony needs to go to one of these panels... EVERY brony parent*

I load my suburban full of everything needed to have a fun filled weekend exploring Baltimore after I show him this is not where he needs to be. Research done, other places to visit. check check!

We now have two adult sisters, mom's best friend and both toddler nieces in tow, along with one very excited Brony. This is going to be a long, long trip. It's going to be worth every second of it. I am about to put this fandom in their place. I am not a happy mom. My son is bullied, my son stays locked in his room, my son is not who he was.. I WANT ANSWERS! I WANT HIM OUT OF IT!

My Brony is oblivious to the fact that I have every intent on turning him against this fandom. My Brony is excited...no more than that .. he is ecstatic! For now.. plot plot plot. My life has been turned upside down. I blame this Brony culture for this. Right, it has to be this Brony thing. He wasn't anything like this before.

I leave home with a warning from dad. Do not leave him alone in this convention center. DO NOT LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Indiana is in my rearview, and BronyCon is in my sights. I am locked and loaded. I am ready for this to be done.

Adventure begins... I am ready for this.. Come at me Brony!

*stay with me here, it's about to get enlightening! It's about to get good.