5 Ways Same-Sex Parents Are Better

The last few days all I’ve seen are beautiful rainbows when scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook. All this talk about same-sex marriage got me thinking.

Not only do I believe that same-sex couples deserve the chance to have a family (kids, dogs, fish, whatever floats their boat…) but I also think that in many ways same-sex parents are better at parenting.

If you are not convinced, let me share with you 5 Ways Same-Sex Parents Are Better.

Now I want to start off by saying that I am a married, straight woman. I have two little boys of my own.

Do I think I am a bad parent? No! But NOBODY is perfect. Since I don’t judge others and I like to put myself into other’s shoes (even if they are covered in unicorns and rainbows), I can look at parenting from a different perspective and this is exactly what I am doing here.

5 Ways Same-Sex Parents Are Better

1. Their kids are NEVER unwanted. When same-sex couples decide to become parents it’s not as easy as stopping birth control and jumping aboard the baby making train and it’s definitely not unplanned (for obvious reasons). They truly WANT to be parents and are motivated and committed to do so.
2. They are often more financially stable. This ties into the reason above. Having children in general is EXPENSIVE. But add in adoption costs, costs to hire a surrogate, etc. and those costs exceed costs that opposite-sex parents have to endure. Not to mention that when adopting, financial stability is one of the top requirements for being able to adopt. In the end, they are more prepared for the costs associated with raising children.
3. They have a great deal of patience. If you are a parent, you understand patience or lack there of. There is nothing like having a child drag their feet during a large grocery shopping trip or screaming at the top of their lungs in public for their favorite candy bar. Children test our patience every single day but I think same-sex parent’s have the upper hand in this area. Why? Because their patience is tested from the moment they chose to become parents. The entire process of obtaining children of their own is nothing but a waiting game and teaches them patience. For that, I give my upmost respect.
4. Children are raised in a gender neutral setting. Children raised by same-sex couples don’t experience the typical gender roles or expectations placed on many of us raised by opposite-sex couples. Since there are two mom’s or two dad’s involved, roles typically end up being split and shared among the parents giving children a more open mind to the roles in relationships. I think this also helps them become more open-minded with their surroundings and the way they react to events in life.
5. They are known to raise happier and healthier children. Don’t get me wrong, any parent can raise happy and healthy children given they are raised that way but a study completed by the University of Melbourne showed that “Children in same-sex parent families had higher scores on measures of general behavior, general health and family cohesion compared to population normative data”.  It may be for the reasons listed above or for one entirely different but in the end, those are the findings.

Now I realize this is one of those hot and debatable topics. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and this is mine.

This is not to discourage any parent and make them feel like they are bad at parenting. Instead it is to point out that traditional ways of doing something is not the ONLY way.

Having options is what keeps us human and gives us our freedom to be who we are. It’s like coming to a 2-way street, one way gets you to your destination faster than the other, doesn’t mean it’s the only way just means it’s a different (and often better) way of getting you there (unless you like taking extra slow ways then that’s cool too!).

It’s all about perspective, understanding and LOVE. I think LOVE is a pretty beautiful thing, don’t you?

Want to spread your love for all things Unicorns and Rainbows? Check out 30 Ways to Make Unicorn Poop.

You can also relax with these colorful Rainbow Bath Salts!