Three Legal Parents

Things are definitely changing and evolving within the United States. Little by little, court decisions are changing laws and in some states, it is now legal to have up to three parents for a child. There are  many instances where this type of scenario would work for some families, and in the case of parenting partnerships, it makes perfect sense. We found a story of a sperm donor who later transitioned to babysitter, then uncle and ultimately became the child’s father, making him parent number three.

But not all are OK with this type of three-parent arrangement. More from the NPR story below:

The Skepticism

Not everyone thinks three-parent families are a good idea. There are religious groups that disapprove, believing that parenting and marriage should be between a man and a woman. And there are other skeptics, too.

Bradford Wilcox, a professor at the University of Virginia and director of The National Marriage Project, says this is uncharted territory.

“I think the concern here is that three parents will have more difficulty giving their children the kind of consistency and stability that they need to thrive as children and as young adults as well,” Wilcox says.

It’s often a matter of practicalities as well, Wilcox says, and co-parenting is often a challenging enterprise.

“It’s obviously challenging for many married parents navigating that shared undertaking, and you add one more person to the mix and I think it can become more difficult,” he says.

Wilcox does acknowledge that legal protection could give children more stability.

Forman believes his three-parent arrangement is a lot better than some marriages, and he says the kids know it.

“They have seen divorced parents where the mother and father are angry with each other. We’re not,” he says. “We get along, we do the swim meets together [and] we enjoy each other’s company.”

They’re proud of their two children, but this mom, dad and mom are also proud of each other.

To listen to the entire story, click here.