Psychology

Is it in the best interest of children to have parents in a committed heterosexual, rather than a homosexual, relationship There is lack of quality evidence that can uphold that it is highly detrimental for children to be reared by gayslesbians rather than heterosexual couples. Individuals disapproving homosexual parentingadoption cite, among others, that same-sex couples tendency to have less stable relationships may have an impact on children. Yet there are also countless cases of heterosexual couples failing to live up to their roles as good parents. While social stigma  and the effects on childrens psyche are things gay  lesbian couples need to be wary of, real-life cases have shown that most homosexual couples can be fit and competent parents.

Time and again, we hear about cases of lesbian and gay couples turning out to be very responsible and successful parents of children.  First-hand accounts of homosexual couples with the best intentions turning out to be capable parents are a clear-cut illustration that good parenting is not hinged on gender alone.

It can be noted that lesbian and gay couples who are very well-adjusted individuals of good character, and who prove to be appropriate parents for children, debunk the notion held by certain quarters that homosexuality can have a bearing on molding normal functioning  thinking kids.  The parents gender is not the only factor shaping childrens emotional growth or unconventional modes of thinking.

Timothy J. Dailey exemplifies the view held by some quarters that children may be better off growing up in the traditional two-parent home. Believing that heterosexual parents can provide a more stable home for children, Dailey opined that the fact that several states have legally prohibited gay adoption suggests that public opinion is against the practice this question raises larger issues about the nature of marriage and family allowing homosexual couples to marry and have children will change the committed nature of relationships and thus challenge the norms of healthy parenting (Guest, 2009, p. 328).  This is highly debatable, especially when we consider that highly responsible gay or lesbian couples who are financially, emotionally, and mentally equipped do exist and will do all that they can to ensure that kids under their custody grow up into  healthy and mature individuals able to make sound decisions on their own.

As a lesbian who carried on an intimate relationship with mother of a young baby girl and raised the girl like her own said, We could be good parents as our heterosexual counterparts in terms of preparing for our childrens future and nurturing them to be good people (A. Mayo, personal communication, April 12, 2010).  The child, she narrated, was the center of everything in their lives. Studies have shown that two female parents usually possess and offer children under their custody the advantage of parenting awareness skills and warmer, closer , more communicative relationships (Biblarz and Stacey, 2010, p. 11).

A key point offered by those who view homosexual parents as offering a less than ideal environment for kids than traditional heterosexual parents  is the impact on the children of the breakdown of the relationship in due time. Because most same-sex couples lack access to legal marriage and receive less familial, cultural, and institutional support for their relationships, they generally face fewer barriers to exiting unsatisfying unions (Biblarz and Stacey, 2010, p. 12).  There is also the view held by some people that children of lesbian and gay parents will experience more difficulties in the area of sexual identity than children of heterosexual parents  (Guest, 2009, p. 330).  Yet there are actual cases that disprove this. There are real-life examples of  children who grew up under the care and supervision of lesbian parents whose preference for heterosexual relationships was not  reversed.

Indeed, the fact that most lesbian and gay couples can be competent and effective parents the way responsible heterosexual couples can be cannot be disputed.  The question is more on the impact that short-lived relationships of these gaylesbian couples may have on children.  While staunch protestors of giving custody of children to gaylesbian couples opine that going against the accepted norms may be detrimental to childrens psychological health or expose them to social stigma, there are no conclusive studies affirming this. While there are still people who may discriminate against kids hailing from families run by same-sex couples, the effect on children can be assuaged through the loving presence and open lines of communication maintained by these parents. Gender or homosexuality, per se,  of biological or acting parents do not necessarily lead to abnormal social relationships, as the American Psychological Association maintained. History has shown that children with lesbian and gay parents do not differ markedly from that of children with heterosexual parents (Guest, 2009, p. 330).