“The institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as between a man and a woman. In the October 15, 1971 decision Baker vs. Nelson, the Supreme Court of Minnesota found that the institution of marriage as a union of man and woman, uniquely involving the procreation and rearing of children within a family is as old as the book of Genesis”(Gay).
Homosexuality is a hot topic. Many see this as a problem! Consequently the idea and associated discussion of gay marriage brings up the issue of gay parenting and how it obviously affects many children around the world. There is controversial research available which indicates that children raised as part of a gay or lesbian household are just as happy, healthy and well-adjusted as other children that are raised in a conventional family consisting of a heterosexual mother and father (Burns)… However, in my opinion, this is simply not the case. There is mounds of convincing evidence written by scholars that contradict this notion, and frankly anyone with an observant eye could lay witness to this fact as well. I have personally witnessed, on a daily basis, throughout my life, that there are kids being bullied and teased at school because they are growing up in houses consisting of same sex parents, which is out of the norm for many other kids. This is causing psychological problems for these children. Gay parenting is a selfish deed that the children have to pay the price for in their social lives. It not only affects the children involved but infringes on values that are important to traditional families and agencies that place these children in these homes. Teaching the children in this day-and-age the correct way of life morally is important because they will follow in the footsteps of which they have been guided. This, in many cases, can be dangerous for their own good when basic moral values are not included into their daily lives growing up.
Having a Mother and a Father is important in more than one way. What each parent has to offer for the child is what creates a sense of balance in the child’s life. The way a child is raised is what they will hold true for the rest of their life. Being raised by heterosexual parents will give them better understanding of the opposite sex. Having a relationship with both genders in their early life will make it easier for a child to relate with the opposite sex later on in life. While growing up children go through stages where they will need their father more than their mother or the other way around.
“Compared to a mother’s love, a father’s love is frequently more expectant, more instrumental, and significantly less conditional. For the child, from the beginning, the mother’s love is an unquestioned source of comfort and the foundation of human attachment” (Burns).
Mothers are more responsive to a child’s every need. A growing boy needs his father in order to find his masculine identity and control their anger and emotions along with their sexual drives. Mothers can’t help with this because they are not a man and don’t know some of the emotions or drives that men do. Without a father figure the boy would have no sense of respect towards women and often become troublesome later on down the road. Girls also need a father figure for many reasons. A father provides a safe place and a nonsexual relationship with the opposite sex (Rosenthal). Studies have shown that girls that are raised without a father are at risk of early sexual activity and young pregnancy. Without a mother, a girl lacks emotional security and advice that mothers usually have to offer (Gay). Being gay portrays a message that all your personal choices in life are equally accepted which causes sexual confusion and unsafe sex. Two women cannot compensate for the need of a father figure, and what he has to offer, in a child’s life and same goes for the opposite. Same sex couples can be just as loving parents but love is not all a child needs (Rosenthal).