Would you turn to the internet to start a family?
By Kristen Droesch — Written on Feb 27, 2014
Parenting is never easy. You have to contend with the wants and needs of people too young to help themselves, as well as balancing your own wants and needs with those of your partner. But it is the partner who makes it all possible, isn't it? That is what more and more people are realizing. Instead of single men and women simply using a surrogate and donor eggs or sperm to start a family, people are going online in order to find co-parents.
This latest trend in parenting is aided by sites like Modamily.com and FamilyByDesign.com, which connect and support prospective parents. The people who are coming together are not looking for romantic partners, only co-parents with whom they can start a family. It is an intense, complicated process, involving background and health checks and often a legal agreement. Laws regarding co-parent vary by state, so great research and consideration has to be taken as to where to live.
For all the difficulties, there are certainly advantages to such an arrangement over simply going to a sperm bank. On sites like Modamily, one can get to know potential co-parents on a deep level. Users can connect with other prospective parents and see if they mesh on a spiritual, moral and practical level. Of course, if you are looking to raise a child on your own, and aren't interesting in a co-parent, this is not the route for you. Men and women are on these sites because they want to be involved in the lives of their children.
Some camps are saying that it is simply a new form of parenting, while others are claiming that these sorts of arrangements are detrimental to the children, as they are not "traditional families", and that because co-parents are not in a romantic relationship that their partnership is more likely to fail. However, it is important to bear in mind that the people going to such lengths to have a child are doing so because of the desire to start a family. They may not be the traditional family unit, but they are based in love.
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