Mother’s Day for Gay Dads

Mother’s Day is a day when the moms of the world are rightfully celebrated. And while most households are filled with homemade cards, breakfasts in bed, flowers, and well-deserved pampering for mothers, our household (like thousands of others across Canada) feels a little different on this day.

Having two dads is a very normal experience for our boys. We often talk about the many ways that families are made and the different types of families out there. We revel in our differences every chance we get, and I am grateful for the loving bond we share together.

For us, Mother’s Day is a chance to celebrate all the amazing women in our family. We celebrate the boy’s grandmas, aunt, and great aunt. They play such an integral role in our kids’ upbringing and deserve much love and appreciation on this day. Our boys get to choose one of our loving ladies to pay homage to with school-made crafts and creative cards. My aunt – who lives nearby and helps us with childcare – tends to reap most of the benefits of this day and enjoys every last bit of her tribute.

We also take this opportunity to celebrate the wonderful women who played an essential role in helping us to become a family. This day is our yearly reminder of the gracious gifts our donor and surrogate gave to us. The boys refer to them as Aunties and we make a point to connect with these ladies – who are also moms themselves – to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day. We have always been very open about how we became a family and how many people were involved in their own creation stories. They say it takes a village to raise a family and, in our case, it took a village to MAKE this beautiful family.

We hope all the mothers and all the women who share their love with children out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

 

Frank Emanuele is a proud father of two boys, a special education teacher, and a director of Dad Club London.