Meet Justin and Didier! Dads to two little ones, this family of four lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Both surrogacy and adoption seemed like interesting options to us. As we began our parenthood journey, we attended meetings by Men Having Babies where we learned about the surrogacy process and met other dads who chose that path.”
It was then that they decided on a surrogacy journey.
“Gays With Kids was an excellent starting point for us in terms of gathering information about the surrogacy process and learning about all of the agencies and clinics in North America. We worked with San Diego Fertility Center for IVF and Simple Surrogacy where we matched with our phenomenal surrogate.”
Justin is also a mentor with GWK Academy where they provide guidance and coaching for dads-to-be (maybe you!). They shared, “Once you decide on your path to parenthood, feel free to reach out to any other gay, bi, or trans dads to get advice from them. We found that connecting with dads who had been through the process already was very helpful, informative, and inspirational to our own journey.”
The dads shared with us some thoughts about fatherhood so far. “The best part about being a dad is watching both of our kids experience moments of joy and delight and novelty. It is so deeply fulfilling, the love we feel for them is truly limitless and unconditional.
However, the couple is no stranger to struggle. “Thankfully we haven’t experienced overt discrimination, but we’ve had plenty of encounters where people make assumptions, not realizing we’re a same-sex couple with kids. A common one is asking the kids ‘where’s your mommy?’ not realizing they have two dads and no mom.”
The most challenging part of fatherhood, the dads share, are those everyday parenting fears: “The hardest part is managing our own tendency towards worrying/anxiety about their wellbeing!”
If we had a dollar for all of those dad fears…
“We both dreamed of one day becoming parents. Everyday that we are with our children we feel profoundly grateful for this blessing.”
Check out GWK Academy to connect with these guys and other gay dad mentors!
Instagram: @jerseyvafa @dueyart
