Thursday, January 08, 2009

What do experts on gay parenting say? You’d be surprised.

by David Benkof

There’s more evidence that children need both a mother and a father whenever possible in an unexpected source: gay parenting manuals. These are the experts at gays and lesbians raising children, and several of them acknowledge that when children have two Moms or two Dads, they miss having a parent of the other sex. Some examples:

The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook says some children accept their lesbian or gay parents, but “some children do express an intense longing for the other biological parent, talking about it frequently and emotionally…. Adolescents take particular interest in both their heredity and in gender-specific role models.”

The Lesbian Parenting Book says “It is very normal for children to long about and ask for a father…. It is natural to feel defensive when your child longs for a father. We encourage you to remain patient while she asks questions, sorts out information and comes to terms without knowing her father’s identity, or not having her biological father in her life. She needs to do it…. [Artificially Inseminated] children of lesbian parents may grieve never knowing their biological father.”

Read the rest of this article here.

No comments: