Legal Third Parent

I don't like to place my opinions on others lives......But for me I don't think it would be good. It is hard enough as is adding more couple be even harder.

Exactly what is a "family unit" these days? A male father, a female mother, with perfect jobs, perfect houses, perfect churches, perfect children? A "family unit" spends time with each other and their children, has respect for each other and the children of the relationship, gives unconditional love to each other which, in turn, gives the children a strong sense of self-esteem and security. The perfect "family unit" existed in the t.v. of the 50's, June Cleaver in pearls (did she ever clean her toilets?) and children were still sexualized and people still had extra-marital affairs and so called religious icons overlooked what they knew was happening. Yeah, that "family unit" -- alive and well? I see no issue with a 3rd parent. I see a bigger issue with anyone who has more time to worry about someone else's family unit than they do their own. There is a power much hiigher than any of us. Leave the judgment to Him. Josie

DMCA: No, I don't think this can become the "new" form of open adoption. Remember, adoption is legal there's no way, IMO, that anyone would go into an adoption plan where the bparents and aparents co-parent. There was one case where the bmom changed her mind and the aparents when into a "three parent" plan but, I don't know how that's going. It must be hard each person wanting something different for the kid. Also, with these arrangements I really don't think it benefit's the child.

With regard to gay couples, I think you may be referring to what is legally termed "second parent adoption" in some states. The birthparents remain birthparents. They may have an open adoption, but they have relinquished their parental rights, just as they would if their child was adopted by a heterosexual single who happened to live with her boyfriend of many years. A gay or lesbian person has to adopt as a single, even if he/she has been in a monogamous relationship with a partner for 25 years, simply because gay marriage is not recognized in this country. So the gay or lesbian person adopts a child, just as a heterosexual single person adopts a child, whether or not he/she is in a relationship with another person. A few states then permit the long time domestic partner of that person, whether gay or straight, to petition the court to become a second parent to the child, with all the normal legal rights and responsibilities of parenthood. Personally, I think that this is actually a very positive approach, as it makes the partner in the relationship, whether gay or straight, equally responsible for the child's wellbeing. The child then has two legal parents, instead of one legal parent and the man or woman roommate of one of the parents. Not all states permit second parent adoption, by either straight or gay people. In fact, a few states don't permit gay and lesbian people to adopt at all; Florida does not, for example. Whether gays and lesbians should adopt is a totally different question from whether the longtime partner of a straight or gay person should be allowed to become the legal second parent of the person's child. Sharon