"I don't think worrying and letting him do his thing are your two alternatives. I imagine that you're going to continue to (kind of) worry-as parents tend to do when their teenage and young adult (and sometimes even older adult) children become involved in something they find weird or don't understand or that just gives them the ick."
"But also: Your son is 16 years old. So, while you don't have to take him to any more furry conventions if you'd rather not encourage him to participate in this community, I am pretty sure you're not going to be able to discourage him."
"I think at 16 the question of "letting" him do his thing is moot-and also that if you try to keep him from doing that thing, your efforts will backfire. (There's no surer way to drive a teenager deeper into what he's into than forbidding him to do it.)"
A 16-year-old son participates in the furry community and has attended conventions with parental blessing; the parents feel uncomfortable despite being liberal and accepting. Parental worry about a child's unfamiliar interests is common and likely to continue. Parents do not have to attend future conventions if they do not want to encourage participation, but active attempts to discourage the teen are unlikely to succeed. Explicit prohibitions can drive a teenager deeper into an interest. Allowing the teen autonomy while maintaining appropriate boundaries is presented as a preferable approach to outright forbidding.
Read at Slate Magazine
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