Adoptive Families Study Finds No Difference With Same-Sex Parents Raising Kids

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How many studies does it take for people to realize — there’s no difference between same-sex parents raising children and any other type of family home. Well, here’s another one for the skeptics.

A new study from the University of Kentucky led by assistant professor Rachel F. Farr took 100 families — all with adopted children. The families included gay dads, lesbian moms, and mom-dad couples and were recruited from 5 adoption agencies. In addition to the study focusing on the parents and their feedback, it also included collected data from the children’s teachers who provided information on behavior.

The study occurred over a five year time. It began when the adopted children were in preschool and then five years later. The results were about as you’d expect:

“Based on mean comparisons, no child, parent, couple, or family outcome variable was distinguishable by parental sexual orientation.”

Not surprised? Neither were we.

Farr told ThinkProgress that people who claim same-sex parents don’t provide a good home environment are wrong: “The literature consistently demonstrates that across different ages, domains of development, and ways of joining their ways families, children with same-sex parents develop in ways that are typical and healthy — at least on par with those children with heterosexual parents.”

The one thing the study did find?

“Our findings suggest that children had fewer behavior problems over time when their parents were less stressed (and had more satisfying couple relationships),” Farr said.

So, families, focus on your environment. Take your wife or your husband out on a date and call a babysitter. Destress with family yoga if you have to.

And remember, it’s not the makeup of your family that makes for a good home, it’s how you family — with love and care.