This is a random conversation we had in the car on Saturday. Not sure where it came from, as we hadn't been talking about J or his family.
Liam: Does J have two dads?
Me: Yeah he does.
Chris: How lucky is that - two mums and two dads?
Liam: Yeah!
(J lives in California with his Mum, my best friend, and his Mama, my best friend's wife. His bio-Dad is also an important, involved person in his life, and since he is also married (though not legally - they don't live in the right state for that) J has two Dads as well.)
I've blogged about this before, but it bothers me how little real diversity Liam sees in his day to day life, particularly with regard to sexuality and family styles. And what bothers me too is how I have failed to offset the reality of the dominant culture he lives in by providing non-dominant role models in books. Because the fact is, that while we have some books (at least one anyway) with two mums, and others with only one mum or one dad (none with two dads I think), and quite a few with people of colour, and we borrow others from the library from time to time, there are scads and scads and scads of books - both in our house and in the library - with one mum, one dad, three kids, all white.
And at school almost all Liam's friends have a mum and a dad, living together. A few (and no doubt this will increase with time) live with their Mum and see Dad on weekends. Most of them are white, though not all. Most of the Dads work full-time. Many of the Mum's work part-time, while many are SAHMs. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with stay-at-home mum's - or dads - Chris and I would both like to be them! It's just that I want Liam to see that there are options. That there is not one right way to be or to live.
Anyway, this is a bit of a rave with little focus, but I'm on my lunch break at work blogging a day late (in Australia, but it's still the 1st in much of the world) for Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2009. And this is where the that conversation with Liam took me. Any recommendations for books with different family structures, particularly books with two mums or two dads where that's not seen as a big deal - just a general background feature of life - much appreciated. Anything from picture books for Mikaela, who is nearly three, to chapter books to read to Liam, who is seven.
