Multi-parent families need a legal framework | Letter

Four-parent families can ease the burden of raising children, writes Dominic Kraemer

In the Netherlands, multi-parent families like the one Eleanor Margolis is hoping to start (Could four of us having a baby together be the answer to parental burnout? I’m hoping to find out, 27 July) are becoming more and more common, and the Dutch government has considered legislation to recognise up to four legal parents. This would give them the legal structure they so desperately need.

My husband and I are hoping to co-parent with another couple after witnessing how beneficial it can be, both for the parents and for their children. And it’s not just queer couples who are noticing the benefits. We know heterosexual couples who are looking to start families with more than two parents, not only with the aim of avoiding parental burnout, but also for financial or environmental reasons.
Dominic Kraemer
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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