A Mother and A Father?

I have been blessed to have a loving mother and father, but in our society, many children only have one parent due to high divorce rates.  Some children have two parents of the same gender.  I started thinking recently about the role a parent plays in a child’s life--do children need both a mother and a father?  Is it unnatural to only have one parent or two parents of the same gender?

The nuclear family has only recently developed as commonplace in our species, so it is difficult to say whether or not is has been a success.  Human beings previously lived in small tribal groups with extended families. 

What happens when the parents are homosexual?  All children seek to emulate their parents, so it would be awfully peculiar for a heterosexual male to try to copy his homosexual parents.  Such an endeavor might bring about feelings of guilt and confusion.  Another problem arises when kids with homosexual parents are teased by bigoted kids and parents. 

I am of the opinion that a child needs adult guidance of one form or another in this world.  Here’s a fact- a baby would die without adults who care.  Babies are helpless and dependent upon adults for all their physical needs- food, shelter, water, and learning.  Once you look outside of basic needs and focus on ideas, the parents indoctrinate their children to some degree.  Children’s minds are like sponges that absorb ideas and then mimic them. 

I also think that a child, regardless of gender, should be influenced by both masculine and feminine qualities.  Why?  Both of these characteristics are evident in the world.  The child will be able to deal with these differences more effectively if they are present in the home. 

It should be mentioned that a child needs is love and compassion, and the source can come from anyone- homosexuals, divorced parents, and heterosexuals.  I am only arguing that the optimal situation includes both a mother and a father because masculine and feminine characteristics are present in the world.  I won’t doubt there are gay couples who are perfectly capable of loving and properly raising a child, but this is not the perfect scenario.