Families of Two: the childfree a decade later

Wow — Dr. Phil takes on the many faces of the  modern family.  In the intro clip he does say “There’s no right or wrong way to have a family.”  However, the article on his site gives it a good shot, but does not get to the heart of the matter.  On the show he interviews a childfree couple, and the woman remarks that while she had concerns about a change in lifestyle, he does not seem to take seriously the fact that she says that she and her husband just do not have a burning desire to be parents.  This is what I found in interviewing couples for Families of Two. Underneath their relationship, financial and lifestyle concerns was often a genuine lack of desire to be a parent.  And for others, their level of desire to become parents just did not outweigh their concerns.

He also says that “some” parents express having regret, which is ironic because.. (more…)

Ok still on the Prop 8 trial –I wanted to share this 29 year old woman’s take on the matter. Here is the text of Kristen Quay of Oakland, California in a Letter to the editor in January 18th’s San Francisco Chronicle:

“Real threat: unmarried parents

I am 29 years old, college educated and in a professional career. Most of my friends and acquaintances share these same demographic traits.

Well over half of my acquaintances who have children share another interesting trait: They either are not married or were not married at the time their child was conceived. At that point, the only real incentive to marry seems to be to reap health insurance and financial benefits. Many never bother to get married at all.

I find it interesting that the Proposition 8 supporters do not seem to find this trend nearly so much of a threat

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The same sex-marriage court case continues to bring out great points that the public needs to be more educated about.  On Jan 15, the focus was on the gay/lesbian parent issue. 

Many of us already know that gay and lesbians make just as good parents as heterosexuals. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Michael Lamb, chairman of the Dept of Social and Developmental Psychology at Cambridge University England testified that more than 100 studies have found that “children who are raised by gay and lesbian parents are just as likely to be well-adjusted.”  Lamb also quoted the American Psychological Association’s policy statement that gays and lesbians are “as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children.”  He also testified that seven other nationwide professional organizations have taken similar positions.

The discussion got me thinking about parenting in general. What does predict someone will be a good parent?  (more…)