FEATURE Children's Book – a South African first Story books for children with same-sex and LGBTI parents October 08, 2007 "I am a unique child. I have two parents of the same gender. They both love me very much, and I could never ask for a better home. Up until now, there have not been any kiddies' books that describe my family..." In today's society, we see more and more, every day, same-sex couples that are settling down and looking at the option of having children. A child that has two parents of the same gender, whether born to a same-sex couple, or adopted by a same-sex couple, needs a solid foundation of love and acceptance – not only for his or her family, but also in society. This is imperative for any child, irrelevant of his or her family structure. We tend to forget that there are other children in the world with different, yet related circumstances. There are children whose mother and father do not live together anymore, and either the mother or father now has a same-sex partner. There are children who have been adopted or born into trans-racial or trans-cultural families. And there are children with a single lesbian mom, or a single gay dad. All children need to know that whether their parents are gay or straight, black or white, or even multi-racial, that they were planned for, wanted dearly and loved unconditionally by their parents. Bedtime Stories is the first series of children's story books in this format in the world, which is written for children in this environment. The books explain to children that their family is just as normal as the next, and that they can be proud of where they come from. The first series of books, My Family Series, aims to provide same-gender parents with stories that they can spend time reading to their children. The books are written in such a way that they are easy enough for a child to understand, but at the same time instil excellent values in the mindset of the child about their gay or lesbian parents. The Bedtime Stories: My Family Series is not only for children with gay or lesbian parents – even children with heterosexual parents can benefit from the books. Children with heterosexual parents need to be exposed to the fact that we live in a very diverse world, and by doing this children learn not only respect, but also love for others, regardless of the sexual orientation of their or other children's parents. The concept was created by Lisa Sonnekus, well-known in the gay and lesbian community for assisting same-sex couples with parenting. Lisa runs a non-profit organisation, Baby-ventures, through which she supports same-sex parenting and assists same-sex couples through the trials and tribulations of having children in the modern-day world. Says Lisa: "Upon our quest to buy books for our son, we find many fun and exciting stories. Most – if not all, have parental characters as mommy and daddy. They are set with typical gender roles as instilled by society and media… Not that there is anything wrong with this. We just feel, as parents, that there are more dynamic family structures and would like to read a book to our son that also reflects same-sex couple situations. After all, this is his family to be proud of and to relate to in the perceived norm of society" "The only books that we have come across to date, are children's books focused on adopted children in heterosexual households. These are very good concepts, but they are purely an educational aid for parents to explain, in story format to their child, how they got there." Lisa's idea was rather a series of story books, focusing on one main character (the child) in a same-sex parent home. As in any home, it is up to the parents to guide, nurture and educate their children. The aim for the series is to assist them in a fun-filled way. The main focus is to set everyday, normal scenarios, but with the parental characters as same-sex or outside of stereotypical situations. Martin's Coming Home is the first title in the BEDTIME STORIES series, and is a story about a new-born baby (Martin) which is brought into the world by his two lesbian mothers. The book focuses on the welcoming of Martin to his new home by his family. The theme of Martin's Coming Home is the love that his parents have for him, and his acceptance into the world as a new-born baby by his family. The story unfolds, and describes the wishes of goodwill that the family has for the little baby boy. Eventually his parents tuck him into bed for the first time, and Martin is as content as can be – just as any new-born baby should be! With beautiful illustrations and spell-binding words, Martin's Coming Home is, without a doubt, a must-have for any young child in today's society. Martin's Coming Home is focused on ages 4 to 8 years old. Children like to touch books and the paper quality is very durable with colourful illustrations. The book also provides the child with a space to either draw or stick a picture of his or her own family. Martin's Coming Home is, of course, only the first book in the series, the rest of which are in the pipeline. Says Lisa: "After all, children of today's world will come into contact more and more with children from gay or other households. It is the parent's responsibility to teach their child about different family structures and the diversity of the world. This book provides them with the opportunity to do that in a fun-way and opens the door for questions from their child that can be explained on their level." Writing a series of children's books for same-gender parent families has come as natural as parenthood for Lisa. Lisa hopes Bedtime Stories will become an aid for all families to explain to their children about diversity Martin's Coming Home is currently available as a soft-cover, 24 page book, and is sold on www.bedtimestories.co.za for R 85.00, including postage. Martin's Coming Home will also be available in selected retail bookstores soon. Visit www.bedtimestories.co.za for more information, where the book is also available as an "e-book", in both an Afrikaans and an International version. – Issued by Mediabrand SA on behalf of Bedtime Stories Related features Gay marriage and parental rights in South Africa