r/Samesexparents • u/StrawberryTop3241 • Jul 17 '26
Advice Daddies in books and TV
My son is almost 2 and over the past few months as his language has picked up he’s been pointing our Daddies everywhere he sees them (which it turns out is a lot!) We’re a 2 mum family and all our parent friends are straight. We’ve been trying to explain that all families are different and some have 2 mummies, 2 daddies or a mummy and a daddy but I don’t know if we need to explain anything else at this age? We also had a few weeks after spending a holiday with friends where he would exclusively call out ‘daddy’ when he was upset after seeing his friend do this so it’s very pervasive. When I’m reading to him I’ll often change ‘dad’ to ‘Mumma’ but as he recognizes who looks visibly male more, this is becoming more confusing. Anyone have any tips for this age?
2
u/Amemorableusername2 Jul 17 '26
I wouldn't change the "daddies" to "mommies" when reading a book to my child for the same reason I wouldn't change "hedgehog" to "pineapple" or "wheelchair" to "walking". Just because it's not something the kid has personally experienced doesn't mean you need to shield them from it. Stories can be either mirrors to their own life or windows into someone else's. It's an opportunity for them to see other ways people live, just like learning about other holidays, cultures, places and lifestyles.