Anthony, Graham and James
(*names have been changed)
My Family consists of my seven year old son and my male partner of nearly three years. My son’s mother - my ex wife - is also very involved as is her husband. My partner has a fourteen year old son from a previous marriage - he is in our family also, and my partner’s sister, mother, father, aunts and cousins!
One of the challenges I’ve experienced since creating my family is that my own aunt and uncle and cousins rarely bother with me and my son since I have been in a same-sex relationship. My family have also been challenged by being isolated by the mindless attitudes of distant family members.
The best thing about being part of my family is the closeness we have to our son and that the differences we have in our lives allow my son to have a wider scope of life and its surroundings.
My son thinks it’s great having one dad, two stepdads, and a step brother who he can’t wait to meet, plus he has all these grandparents all over the world. He likes having a big family and hearing stories about them.
Being part of a rainbow family gives me the ability to be me and still be a parent which is an extremely humbling thing. It’s hard to realize how lucky I am - and to be in a friendship relationship with my son’s mum is a bonus but does have its moments.
If I could change one thing about the world to make it easier for children, it would be that people’s opinions about what’s right or wrong weren’t shoved down children’s throats - they will decide for themselves when they are old enough to understand what they believe in.
