Right now in the United States, there are extreme pressures to redefine the meaning of
matrimony. Specifically, Pennsylvania is being sued by the federal government because it has
not changed its laws to legalize same-sex marriage. Marriage has an enormous impact on society,
as well as an individual’s well being, so its definition should not be taken lightly.

According to the ACLU homosexual couples are just as loving and committed as heterosexual
couples. They believe gays should have equal opportunities in everything, including marriage.
However, can homosexual couples offer the diversity heterosexual couples offer?

For example, observe a father and a mother on the playground. What do you often hear? The
father is probably encouraging the child to climb higher and run faster, whereas the mother is
usually cautioning the child to be careful and not get hurt. In addition, fathers are more focused
on doing things with their children while mothers are typically more concerned with
communicating. According to Kyle D. Pruett, author of The Nurturing Father, “Father love and
mother love are qualitatively different kinds of love.”

In extreme, either kind of love can be damaging. An abundance of motherly affection and
protection may cause children to be timid and stunt their confidence and growth as human
beings. On the other hand, a plethora of being pushed to take risks may cause children to leap
without considering the consequences. It takes both a mother and a father to create a healthy
balance for a child to be brave and bold but not foolish.

Simply put, marriage impacts the people around you. Parents play a major role in their
children’s outcome. If marriage is redefined in Pennsylvania, deliberately depriving children of
either a mother or a father, how could this be best for the children?