I’m going to get guff from this, but IMO parenting is part of the adult growth process.
If you haven’t parented children in a two parent home, you’ve abdicated part of your adult responsibility.
Adoption is a fine substitute for natural child birth. You still take on the responsibility to raise good children. You’re there for them, and have to deal with life’s tribulations related to them.
I respect a person that has been married and been through that fire and the fire of raising children the most.
Granted, some people who have had children are not logical. Others who haven’t are.
As a general guideline, the married person with children who came through it a logical thinking human being with Right leaning values, is the person I want in charge.
Single parents who have gone through the child-rearing process through no fault of their own, and have done a good job, get a lot of respect from me too.
It’s the trial by fire and the reaction to it, the survival, the perseverance and having faced this home setting, that is important.
Single folks do not face the trial by fire that married folks do. I would include single parents in this, but I do want to consider if bad decisions resulted in this.
None the less, we all make bad decisions and turn things around by dedicating ourselves to doing so.
I’m not trying to be unfair in this.
Everyone makes their choices. I love being a parent and being there for my children. I am not particularly ambitious so that works for me. :) I respect our nations’ business leaders and innovators for what they do, but I could never have or want that for myself. They work too hard and likely have little time for their families. I don’t want to miss anything with my children and that might make me a little obsessive.
Just sitting down with my 4 year old, and watching Paw Patrol is heaven.