Children’s Exploration of Their Surrogacy Origins in Gay Two-Father Families: Longitudinal Associations With Child Attachment Security and Parental Scaffolding During Discussions About Conception

Editorial reading guide · Independence

How can I let my child decide which questions about their origins to pursue?

This article examines children’s questions about their surrogacy origins and parental support during those conversations. It gives readers a concrete setting in which to distinguish adult guidance from opportunities for a child to initiate or persist.

Who was studied?

Two-father families formed through surrogacy, observed in father–child conversations and later child interviews.

Age / stage: Middle childhood

Read with three questions

1. What does the article establish about children’s questions about their surrogacy origins and parental support during those conversations?
2. Which measurements came first, and what changes between waves could also explain the pattern?
3. How closely does the population described here match the family or setting you have in mind? The population to compare is two-father families formed through surrogacy, observed in father–child conversations and later child interviews.

Keep the limits in view

Following families over time helps establish the order of measurements. Other changing experiences could still account for the associations.