The Effects of Alternative Family Types on Children. People used to know the traditional family in which the father was the leader of the family and responsible for its well being. The mother??™s role on the other hand, was to take care of her husband and raise their children.
Things, however, have changed dramatically in the last decades, not only regarding the roles the parents have but also the sex of the parents. Today, there is a large number of families whose members are of the same sex. The question, is should these same-sex parents have children And, if yes, do these children live a normal life in and out of home I, personally, would agree with Ellen C.
Perrin, MD, professor of paediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who in the article ??? Kids Of Same-Sex Parents Do Fine??? states, ??? The vast consensus of all studies shows that children of same-sex parents do as well as children whose parents are heterosexual in every way,???(qtd in Alfano par. 4). In other words, same-sex parents??™ children are not at all different from the children of heterosexual families. They live a happy life with two ??? parents??? who love them. Those parents try to do their best to show to the society that they are capable of bringing up a child properly, even if this child isn??™t their natural but an adopted one. Children with homosexual parents can be equal and even better than children with heterosexual parents.
They lack neither the love nor the affection and care that children of heterosexual families may have. I disagree with Paul Cameron, who in his article ??? Does Adoption by Gay or Lesbian Couples Put American Children at Risk??? states ??? More than 150 children with homosexual parents have provided, in extensive interviews, detailed evidence of the difficulties they encountered as a result.???(Cameron par. 5) He tries to convince us that homosexual parents??™ children face a lot of psychological problems because of their ??? strange??? family. Really, do such children face more problems than children of traditional families There are families with two mums who do their best to satisfy their child??™s needs. There are some families, though with heterosexual parents who live their ownlives, the father devoted to his work and the mother trying to look as pretty as she can so as to be more and more attractive to her husband and ??? not only??? him. Cameron, also mentions some examples of children who lived a horrible life with their gay or lesbian mothers who ignore them and drag them to various meetings. But, has he ever considered how many children of heterosexual parents have lived divorces, endless fights between their parents and ill-treating by their fathers just because they want their sons to be like them Therefore, I will agree with Ellen C.
Perrin, MD, professor of paediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who states ??? Some studies showed that single heterosexual parents??™ children have more difficulties than children who have parents of the same-sex,???(qtd in Alfano par. 7). Moreover, let us not forget that homosexual parents are very eager to have a family when they decide to adopt a child. I will agree with Nan Rich, who in the article ??? Letting Gays Adopt Opens More Loving Homes to Foster Kids??? states ??? Not a single credible academic study supports the notion that same-sex couples should be excluded from adopting. And indeed, in Florida, gay and lesbian people serve as loving, capable foster parents.???(Richpar. 6) We must always have in mind that these same-sexparents have made enormous efforts to adopt a child.
Efforts that may have lasted years before they finally became successful. These efforts alone show the strong desire of these people to become parents. Now, just think how reasonable it is for these parents to show much love to their, adopted child in comparison to parents, who quite a lot of times have children coming out of an undesired pregnancy or parents who have children they cannot support financially. On the other hand, in families with two mums doesn??™t a boy want a father to consider him as his ??? hero??? A father that the boy is almost always proud of, plays football with, go fishing with and compare him with his friends??™ fathers Well, the answer is ??? Yes, of course???. But I don??™t think that this, not having a father, can make a boy unhappy in his life. He will feel uneasy at times but this will be temporary and he will get over it as he grows up because he will have the love of his ??? mothers??? who will be ready to satisfy every wish of his.
The absence of a father is replaced by the love and care of his two mums. It is quite reasonable that the two mums will do their best to make their boy forget about this absence. To sum up, I believe that a child adopted by homosexual parents hasat least equal chances to live a better life with a child from heterosexual parents. ??? Studies from 1981 to 1994, including 260 children reared by either heterosexual mothers or same-sex mothers after divorce, found no differences in intelligence, type or prevalence of psychiatric disorders, self-esteem, well-being, peer relationships, couple relationships, or parental stress.??? (Alfano par.
6). We must not forget that these parents did their best to have a child. They encountered a lot of difficulties raised by their families, relatives or the society. These parents are usually well off so they will offer their child a comfortable and easy life. In conclusion, I believe that it doesn??™t matter what kind of family a child comes from. We have seen children living a very happy life in same-sex families or single parent families and, on the other hand, there are children in heterosexual families who live an unhappy life. I don??™t mean that this is a rule.
What can make a happy family is not the sex of the parents but the relationship and understanding the members of the family may have among them.
