What's it like having 2 parents?

[chuckman1]

Warning wall of text
Short version: What's it like having 2 parents? I don't
Also feel free to ask any questions you want to someone who didn't have a dad.

So growing up my dad was only in the picture the first 3 years of my life.
And even then he never really did any parent duties, he just sort of terrorized the family (and still does sometimes when he's not in jail)
So I was raised by just my mom.

We went through ups and downs, we lived in the hood, we lived in a suburban house for a couple years thanks to Section 8 housing (government program) and a lot of places in between.
For a few years my mom had a boyfriend but he was like my dad only I had even less of a connection with him and he never contributed, just took our money.

But anyway, I only had my mom.
I had to learn a lot of things myself because, well some things moms dont teach.
I really love my mom and feel she's a great mother I just sometimes wonder what it's like having 2 parents and I feel it'd be to weird to ask anyone I know.

 

[Lilani]

Huh, a strange question, but why not? I'll do my best to answer.

I guess the main thing that would be unique to a two-parent household would be the dynamic between the two. You have a certain dynamic with your mom, right? Like a way you communicate. Maybe you use a lot of sarcasm, or pick on each other, or just act silly. But one thing I've noticed is you have a dynamic with your parents, but they have a separate dynamic with each other. My parents tend to pick on each other a lot, like poking fun and that sort of thing. My dad is always talking about how mean my mom is to him, and how it's not fair that he's outnumbered by the women of the house. Sometimes my dad will go in for a kiss and my mom will push him away, but he'll try again and they'll go back and forth like that for a while. Sometimes she gives in, sometimes she doesn't. Other times they both get a bit lovey dovey and it gets a bit hard to watch.

Other than that, apart from having two incomes and the odd argument, I can't think of many other things you're missing out on. Sometimes we have to get strategic with who's driving what car, or who's going to be where on what night. But...yeah. That's all I've got.

 

[SycoMantis91]

Wouldn't know. i like to think I have 1 and 1/2 parents. My parents were only together the first 4 or 5 years of my life. My dad since has always been around. i see him a few times a year, and we get along great. I honestly feel sometimes like I'm more like him personality-wise than my mother. My mother raised me, but my dad's kinda there. We talk and hang out, but he's not really a dad. More like a buddy with the "dad" title.

 

[Vault101]

......its funny, rembering back to my highschool days alot of my classmates had divorced parents...well I cant remember exactally but still

its...I dont know, my upbringing could be described as normal..Ideal almost

I guess my mum is the one more involved in my life (almost more than Id prefer actually) where as dad was just kind of....there, I dont mean that in a bad way but I just ment that mums the one who sorted out my life mostly

 

[keideki]

I've been lucky enough to have both my parents in my life, plus good number of parental like people as well. Its nice to have support from both sides, but as my parents divorced when I was young my brother and I wound up being pawns in some of their attempts to get back at each other. If my mother was against it, dad let us do it. If my father was against it, mom let me do it. Its what led me to be able to watch South Park at a young age, and also what spurred my mother to pay for a lip piercing at one time. It was always double the birthday and xmas presents too, sometimes when the money was good they would even compete with each other more or less. It is a double edge sword I think.

 

[Tharwen]

It's awful. There are twice the people to nag you and fuck you over at every opportunity. Just this christmas, I wanted an iPad from my Dad and a Blackberry from my Mum, and all I got was an iPod and a car. Fuck parents.

 

[enzilewulf]

Wish I could say man, but my father died when I was 6 years old and my step father and I never really have hit it off... Man I miss my dad.

 

[Fronken]

It's awful. There are twice the people to nag you and fuck you over at every opportunity. Just this christmas, I wanted an iPad from my Dad and a Blackberry from my Mum, and all I got was an iPod and a car. Fuck parents.

stfu you spoilt asshole

Sarcasm, you know it?

 

[Vampire cat]

I don't really think I would have been better or worse off with two parents... Would I? Despite being alone my dad has done a pretty good job with me and my brother, me turning out crap is my own doing entirely X3. And he's managed to do well for himself too in the same time, and that's good. Happy parents are good parents *thumbs up*.

It's awful. There are twice the people to nag you and fuck you over at every opportunity. Just this christmas, I wanted an iPad from my Dad and a Blackberry from my Mum, and all I got was an iPod and a car. Fuck parents.

You poor man! Are you ok?

 

[necromanzer52]

Wouldn't know. i like to think I have 1 and 1/2 parents. My parents were only together the first 4 or 5 years of my life. My dad since has always been around. i see him a few times a year, and we get along great. I honestly feel sometimes like I'm more like him personality-wise than my mother. My mother raised me, but my dad's kinda there. We talk and hang out, but he's not really a dad. More like a buddy with the "dad" title.

That's a lot like my situation, except it's my dad that raised me, and my Ma that I saw a few times a year.

 

[teebeeohh]

well
it's kinda nice, my mum is very much interested in art and politics and such and my dad is interested in technology so from a young age i was as much encouraged to take apart and rebuild Christmas presents as visiting art galleries.

 

[SongsOfDragons]

I'm 25, and I am lucky enough to have both parents still living and together. My father is 66 and my mother is 60. I am also an only child, so we have the dynamic of that too. My mother was the chore-ordering, somewhat naggy, food-cooking and come-here-for-a-hug parent, and my father was the always-at-work-yay-Daddy's-home, driving, computer-y, fun-loving parent. (Past-tense here as I have not lived with them since 2008.) They shared the job of raising me well, and did not particularly allow me to play one parent off the other; they were always in communication with each other.

 

[Superior Mind]

It's not really something anyone can answer. Everyone's normalcy is based on their own experience. There's no way to objectively compare what it's like having two parents to what it's like having one or two of the same sex or a step-parent or a number of other variables if you've only had your own experience to base it on.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

It like having.. Its hard to explain. My dad and step mom got together when I was one so if step parents I cant compare it to both natural parents. It's more straining I suppose. Two voices to listen to that contradict each other from time to time. Then again I grew up in a good home, few fights, no beatings, brother and sister, normal I guess if anything really is...

 

[Evil Smurf]

It's awful. There are twice the people to nag you and fuck you over at every opportunity. Just this christmas, I wanted an iPad from my Dad and a Blackberry from my Mum, and all I got was an iPod and a car. Fuck parents.

Haha, you mad bro?

I don't know how to answer that question, It feels kinda normal

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I'm 24, I have both my parents and they're both still married.

My dad is 42 and my mum is 43.

I respect my dad immensely, the man pretty much dragged our family up from nothing. He started work at 16 at the bottom rung of the ladder and now he's an executive in the company he works for. The dynamic between us is pretty simple.

We take the piss out of each other at every opportunity. It's like a game of chess really.

My mum is...

Well she's my mum. My dad wasn't really at home much while I was growing up (he was working his arse off so that we didn't live in squalor). I think we share a lot of mannerisms. We both laugh when nervous, have a pretty dark sense of humour, and both love learning about the world around us (we used to sit together and watch documentary marathons).

I love both of them and view them as two very different people.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

my father was the always-at-work-yay-Daddy's-home, driving, computer-y, fun-loving parent.

Yeah little off topic here but since your parents sound like mine I have to ask...
Did your dad always have to play with your christmas presents before you did? Cause I hated that.

 

[Joccaren]

Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

During the good times its like having two good friends with you, albeit controlling and arrogant friends who always know better (Know that doesn't sound too good coming from the younger perspective, but they have to know better about everything. My friends HAVE to want to go outside to play instead of play PC games, nevermind they have an aversion to going outside and stay online longer than I do [This isn't a 'They should go outside', this is a 'They enjoy going outside and do it regularly. They're probably AFKing ATM and outside playing tennis or something. And they believe it. They're not exactly up to date with nerd culture, but they're starting to get there now]).
The bad times are bad. Sit in your room and hope they sort things out as they yell so loud that the entire neighbourhood can hear them, arguing about some little thing or another more petty than the sort of stuff they'll tell you off for arguing about. One will threaten to leave, sometimes they will. Eventually they both calm down and alls back to normal.
Other than that, not a lot can be said.