They are. I use it in the sense that they are the biological parents. Being a Father or a Mother to a child is a whole different thing.
In my book, parents are the folks that conceived the child.
And discretion is the better part of valor, or however that goes. MI, I mean you no disrespect. You are obviously a person of great honor and concept of duty, chivalry.
But I've seen these men, these immigrants, caring only for themselves, beating women and ignoring children except for the boys that are their namesakes and for whom they get SS cards!