Raw Families Archives - My Lemon Magazine

Patagonia’s “Disaster Style”: A Wild New Film Series on Parenting in the Backcountry

Ines Teixeira — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 13:02:19 +0000

Follow elite mountain guide Zoe Hart as she balances steep lines with toddler tantrums and shows us what true grit really means.

Patagonia’s latest short‑film series, Disaster Style, premieres this week, taking viewers on an unvarnished journey into the high‑alpine lives of climber Zoe Hart, her husband Max, and their two young boys, Mika and Mathias.

Shot across the peaks of Italy and France, each episode blends adrenaline‑fueled backcountry skiing and coastal crag climbs with the everyday chaos, and joy, of raising a family in the wild.

“If you push your kids past what they think is possible – whether it’s being cold, tired, or wet – they’ll learn they have the capacity to do way more than they thought they could”

says Zoe, one of the few women in the world to hold the prestigious IFMGA mountain‑guide certification.

From dawn patrol ski traverses to quiet afternoons tending a home garden, Disaster Style celebrates parenting that embraces dirt, discomfort, and the unexpected.

Zoe and Max – veterans of steep lines and remote summits – now navigate a new frontier: sharing their passion for the mountains with their littlest partners in crime.

“I feel my best in real moments in nature – with real consequences and real rewards. I want my kids to gravitate toward those experiences because I believe they’ll make them happy and shape them into good people with strong values and solid priorities” Zoe adds.

Directed by Pierre Cadot of Yucca Films – renowned for his raw, authentic mountain storytelling – the series launches on YouTube today, with new episodes on 25 June and 2 July.

About Zoe Hart

An East Coast native turned Chamonix local for over two decades, Zoe has climbed the world’s toughest alpine routes, guided expeditions as an IFMGA‑certified professional, and lent her voice to environmental causes – from Paris 2024’s Olympic events to grassroots mountain‑culture initiatives.

Her passion for storytelling fuels every ski line and every bedtime story in her family’s epic tale.

About Pierre Cadot & Yucca Films

With 10+ years of capturing mountain culture, Pierre Cadot co‑founded Yucca Films in the Chamonix Valley to shine a light on athletic feats and human stories alike.

A skier and mountaineer himself, Cadot’s award‑winning work honors the raw authenticity of his subjects, letting the landscape – and the people who love it – speak for themselves.

The post Patagonia’s “Disaster Style”: A Wild New Film Series on Parenting in the Backcountry appeared first on My Lemon Magazine.

Zero Waste Family: Reducing Your Ecological Footprint for a Better World

Ines Teixeira — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 13:59:26 +0000

First Steps for Families to Embrace Sustainable Living and Minimize Environmental Impact

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to live without plastic? Or what’s the best way to reduce your family’s waste? Fredrika Syren and her family show us that it is possible to make a difference, one step at a time, through their Zero Waste Family page.

She gave us some tips on how we can do the same.

Climate change is a big problem, and we should all do something to help.

Sometimes even the smallest change is a step in the right direction. The Zero Waste Family is the project of Fredrika Syren and James, both 53, and their children Isabella, 16, Noah, 12, and Liam, 11.

They started small, but now live a life where waste and plastic are kept to a minimum.

This journey started with Fredrika, the cool mum behind the project, who is also a public speaker and author of the book “A Practical Guide to Zero Waste for Families”.

She grew up in Sweden in a family that loved nature and believed that money should be spent on experiences, not “stuff”.

This was the starting point for a career focused on the planet.

Fredrika has now been an environment writer for over 20 years – things really took off when she became a mum, and the zero-waste lifestyle became normal for this family of five.

” When I became a mother for the first time in 2006, I realised that climate change was going to be the biggest threat to my children and that as a family we were certainly producing more waste than ever. Individual action is the missing piece of the puzzle that is needed alongside government and business action to tackle climate change. This inspired me to learn more about how we could start to reduce our own waste and we started slowly but steadily to reduce one piece of waste at a time “

says Fredrika.

The first step was to change the way they shopped as a family – they started buying fruit and vegetables from the local farmers’ market, buying stable foods in bulk, and bringing their own shopping bags and glass jars to avoid plastic.

Since going zero waste, the family has made a number of changes.

“We eat more at home and grow more of our own food. We have worked hard to reduce food waste by storing food properly, cleaning our fridge, pantry and freezer often and having one leftover day a week. We have started composting and this, along with reducing our food waste, has reduced our rubbish by a third.”

The journey to cut down on the use of plastic

Reducing the use of plastic was a natural part of the Zero Waste Family‘s journey, but it was eight years ago that they decided to get serious about giving up completely.

“It’s turning out to be harder than I first thought”

Fredrika begins.

“We’re not quite there yet, but I’d say we’re 85% plastic-free. The rest we send to Terracycle [a recycling company in the United States] to be upcycled.”

The hardest changes have been in children’s toys, school supplies, clothes, and arts and crafts, as they are often made with plastic and chemicals and are usually packaged in plastic; this mother also says that it is impossible to avoid plastic in vitamins and medicines.

Plastic pollution is a major problem, endangering wildlife and the environment, as most of it is never recycled and ends up in landfill.

For this reason, Fredrika firmly believes that we need to work on reducing our use of plastic.

“This does not mean that you can be perfect and 100% plastic free. But we must at least try.”

How to involve kids in the zero-waste lifestyle

Being Zero Waste is not just for parents.

It’s important to get children involved, and sometimes that’s not the easiest thing to do.

Fredrika, a mother of three, thinks it’s a good idea to make it a family activity.

” I read a lot of books with them when they were younger about recycling and how to be eco-friendly, and we also spend a lot of time in nature and in our garden growing food “

So the best advice she can give is to learn together, as a family, by watching documentaries or reading books.

She also believes that a good way to get children more involved in a zero-waste life is to find original ways to reduce waste together.

“If we cannot reuse, recycle or compost it, we will refuse it”

For Fredrika and the Zero Waste family, the most important rule of sustainable living is:

“If we cannot reuse, recycle or compost it, we refuse it.”

And this is what they try to teach the people around them.

The aim is to ” inspire people in our community, our school and our family to start reducing their own waste simply by inviting them into our lives and making sure we inspire by example without judgement “.

The problem with climate change is that it sometimes feels like our individual impact is almost nil, and Fredrika understands.

” I understand that it can seem so insignificant what one person does. Dismissing the importance of individual responsibility has become a popular argument for doing nothing about climate change “

she begins, adding that

“in a world of more than 7.7 billion people, individual action is still an important part of the equation.”

Fredrika believes that it is our actions as consumers that can make a difference.

“If we as consumers vote with our wallets and choose to buy only from sustainable brands, companies will have to start making sustainable changes to maintain demand and continue to make a profit. The fashion industry is a great example of this. 15 years ago, when my family began our journey towards a zero waste lifestyle, there were almost no sustainable clothing brands on the market. Today, many consumers are aware of the environmental damage caused by the fast fashion industry. Before they decide to buy a product, they often research how it was designed or produced.”

If you are trying to make a difference to start reducing your carbon footprint, Fredrika has some advice for you:

“Take it one step at a time and remember that big starts small.”

She tells us that a good place to start is by doing a waste audit and trying to find a substitute for something in your rubbish.

“It can be as simple as replacing paper towels with cloth, bringing your own bags to the shops or choosing pasta in a box instead of a plastic bag.”

The post Zero Waste Family: Reducing Your Ecological Footprint for a Better World appeared first on My Lemon Magazine.

Courtney Adamo: From London To Byron Bay

Isabel Matias — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 08:00:00 +0000

When opportunity knocks, you grab it. Courtney Adamo is a role model for many mothers around the world. After twelve years in the hustle and bustle of central London, Courtney and her family decided to make a change. They sold their London home, gave up their car and most of their possessions and embarked on a year-long trip around the world. Their travels took them to Byron Bay, an enchanting place that they now call home and where every day feels like it’s been taken straight out of a fairy tale. From London to Byron Bay – She is living the dream!

By Lara Franco Gomes
Photography courtesy of Courtney Adamo

Living the Dream: The Courtney Adamo Way.

With adorable children, a stunning home surrounded by nature, and impeccable style, you might ask, how did she create such a flawless world? The truth is, it was her daring spirit and determination to achieve her goals that shaped her path. Combine that with her exquisite taste, and it’s easy to see why she’s become a must-see on Instagram.

A Heartfelt Tête-à-Tête with LEMON Magazine

LEMON Magazine: Moving from London to Byron Bay was a big change, can you tell us three benefits and challenges?

Courtney Adamo: Sure! On the positive side, we’ve had more quality time together as a family, we’re in touch with nature, enjoying sunny days and surfing. Life here is easy.
On the other hand, we miss the bold diversity of London, the ease of getting to Paris by train or Italy by plane, and the lack of cultural experiences and museum visits that a big city offers.

Did your trip around the world leave you with any outstanding memories?

Our trip was full of precious memories. It is interesting that our best memories are often made up of unexpected and sometimes difficult experiences. Difficult experiences like the time we discovered a rusty bathtub on our dining table in our Airbnb in Chile or the heart-stopping moment when we came face to face with a bull elephant in Sri Lanka.

… Travelling can be intimidating, especially when travelling with children. Are there any essential items that new parents should bring with them when packing?

Here’s a great tip: Pack only what you really need. Then, after a day, take half of it out. You will be grateful later.

… [Full article @ LEMON Magazine]

Fashion, Style, and

Courtney’s life revolves around her family, a love of the outdoors and a strong sense of fashion. Her stylish signature sundresses are a combination of classic and bohemian styles, she has a penchant for Ace & Jig and Christy Dawn brands and her personal fashion is elegant and effortless.

Courtney named her children Easton, Quin, Ivy, Marlow and Wilkie, reflecting her belief in harmonious, unique living. Each child, with their unique personalities, creates an enticing combination of energy and love in the Adamo household.

TAP HERE FOR MORE ARTICLE LIKE THIS ONE

@courtneyadamo
www.intheloop.courtneyadamo.com

by Lara Franco Gomes

The post Courtney Adamo: From London To Byron Bay appeared first on My Lemon Magazine.

Compassion, Curiosity And Love

Isabel Matias — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 10:00:02 +0000

This is a girl who believes that synchronicity and interconnections exist everywhere — we just need to pay attention. Her name is Andrea Duclos, but she usually goes by ‘Drea’ (hence her handle Ohdeardrea). Let’s meet her and her beautiful family!

By Bárbara Perino

Photography courtesy of Andrea Duclos

She’s curious for life, has a lust for exploring, and feels a deep love and concern for the earth. She’s been that way forever! She hopes to inspire us to love the earth, the universe and ourselves… and she really does, doesn’t she?

LEMON Magazine [LEMON] – What is that Instagram account? Seriously, I spent at least an hour looking at it and dreaming! You are beautiful and so inspiring, congrats! How’s life these days?

Andrea Duclos [A.D.] – Thank you! Life is great! A constant adventure. Up and down. Forward and back. It’s a great big adventure and I’m here for it.

[LEMON] – Where is home for you?

[A.D.] – It’s a little bit everywhere these days. We have a yearly lease in a small beach town in Nayarit, Mexico. We love it there so much. But we just escaped to Guatemala this summer and are now proud owners of an off-grid farm out there! Mexico will be our home for a few more months until we make the official move to farm life in Guatemala.

[LEMON] – What’s the best way to describe your family?

[A.D.] – “Strange and awkward” according to my ten-year-old Marlowe Paloma. I wouldn’t disagree with her. Though I do think we’re more than that too. Like, really fair, kind, and easy and free.

[LEMON] – She follows you guys everywhere. What’s your top destinations for a family trip?

[A.D.] – I don’t think we’ll be traveling too much these days with all the new restrictions and things in place. But we’re bussing back to Mexico from Guatemala soon. And then we’ll drive right back here in 6 months or so. We might be doing a big family trip to Colombia next year for my grandmother’s birthday. Other than that, we’ll probably be doing small trips in Guatemala, if at all. I think we might be pretty tied into farm life.

[LEMON] – What’s love?

[A.D.] – Respect, kindness and compassion.

READ FULL ARTICLE @ LEMON Nº 11 ~ AUTUMN EDITION

QUICK QUESTIONS

Beach or forest? Beach

Making love or sex? Love

Shoes or barefoot? Barefoot

North or South America? South

Sea or river? Sea

The Rolling Stones or Gotan Project? Neither

SPOTIFY

Seven songs you love!

– Under the Sun, by DIIV

– Something Holy, by Alice Pheobe Lou

– Forest Nativity, by Frances Bebey

– Warm my Soul, by Blundetto

– This Wild Darkness, by Moby

– Cumbia del Monte Fuji, by Frente Cumbiero

– Celebrate, by Holy River

The post Compassion, Curiosity And Love appeared first on My Lemon Magazine.

Raw Family – La Bella Famiglia

Pedro Leitão — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:00:09 +0000

Mariano Di Vaio is 31-year-old blogger, fashion designer and actor. He has been brand ambassador for Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein and is considered one of the most beautiful Italian men of all time! In 2015 he married Eleonora Brunacci in Castello di Procopio and together they chose to live in Perugia, far from the frenzy of a big city. They have the most beautiful kids: Nathan Leone, Leonardo Liam and Filiberto Noah. If this isn’t an inspirational family, we don’t know what is!

By Bárbara Perino
Photography courtesy of Mariano Di Vaio and Eleonora Brunacci

LEMON Magazine [LEMON]: How do you deal with having such an amazing and gorgeous family?
Mariano Di Vaio [M.D.V]: I truly love my family and they mean the world to me. They truly complete me. I’ve realised that even if I don’t have the simplest professional life, it’s totally worth it because my kids will grow up with an attentive father and that’s the most important thing for me.

[LEMON]: What’s your family’s daily routine?
[M.D.V]: The most exciting part of my job is that it’s always different and I can spend a lot of time with my family. Before the work day starts, I love to spend time with my babies early in the morning with a shared grooming routine. They use baby oil, I use aftershave, everyone in front of the mirror before the day starts. A real boys routine. Actually, my perfect kind of day is golfing with my family, knowing that my company is going great and everyone I love is fine.

[LEMON]: How do you deal with this pandemic as a family?
[M.D.V]: In my life in general and even more during challenging times like the lockdown, what gives me real strength is family and faith. When all my family is gathered around a table and I know that everybody is fine, an inner kind of strength gives me hope and confidence that everything’s going to be ok. As a father and husband, I have to say that my family is more a source of joy and happiness than a challenge.

[LEMON]: We all hope 2021 will be a better year. Any plans that were postponed in 2020?
[M.D.V]: COVID19 definitely changed lots of plans. We’re now working to make everything happen anyway, trying to get back to normal… but I still can’t reveal too much!

[LEMON]: Congratulations on your beautiful children. How old are they?
Eleonora Brunacci [E.B]: Thank you, that’s very kind. Nathan Leone, the oldest, was born in November 2016; Leonardo Liam was born in June 2018; and Filiberto Noah was born in September 2019. The last two are very close. They called me the permanently pregnant woman!

[LEMON]: Tell us a bit about their personalities?
[E.B]: Leone is a really good boy. He’s so sweet and loving with his little brothers and he tries to set a good example. Leonardo is the funniest one. He’s a bomb of energy, always smiling and joyful. He’s Leone’s best friend – they’re inseparable. Filiberto is a tornado! We can’t relax when he’s around.

[LEMON]: Do they attend normal Italian school or an international school?
[E.B]: Leone is the only one going to school. Mariano already speaks English with the kids, so we chose to make them attend an international school.

[LEMON]: Personality wise, are they more like daddy or mummy?
[E.B]: Leone is exactly like me, while Leonardo’s personality seems to be closer to Mariano’s. Filiberto is still too young to say…

[LEMON]: Does any of them want to be a model like daddy?
[M.D.V]: They’re already models for Nohow, our brand!

[LEMON]: What’s the one thing your kids do that drives you guys crazy?
[M.D.V]: I think seeing them not to get along. For us, as a family, it’s so important to be supportive and close.

[LEMON]: What are the most important values you want to pass on to your children?
[M.D.V]: The most important message I would like to share with them is to truly enjoy authentic moments. For example, phones are banned at the dinner table. I don’t want to send a message that digital life is better than real life, so I choose to not share everything. I don’t want me or my kids to lose track of reality. Connection to reality is very important and it allows you to tell real stories. The temptation on social media is to tell fake stories based on what people want to see. In the long term, I don’t think this kind of glittery fake world works.

[LEMON]: Do you guys travel a lot together?
[M.D.V]: Of course! I always try to involve my family in my business trips. I know it’s easier now than it will be in the future because the kids are still very young. We will see how we manage in the future…

[LEMON]: What is your favourite destination for a family vacation?
[M.D.V]: I have spent my summers in Sardinia for as long as I can remember. It’s my happy place.

[LEMON]: And where else in the world do you look forward to experiencing?
[M.D.V]: I lived between London and New York in my modelling years and I have travelled the world, but there’s no place like my hometown – Perugia. That’s the city where we chose to live.

[LEMON]: Any projects for us to look forward to?
[M.D.V]: I’m co-producing a thriller movie in Hollywood.

[LEMON]: Mariano, you are one of the most successful models of our time. How do you manage family time with work?
[M.D.V]: I involve my family in my business and I always ask them to travel with me. The most important part of my job is authenticity because genuine communication is the only way to be successful in the digital world in the long term.

[LEMON]: Modelling is not your full-time job, you also have other businesses and partnerships. What can you tell us about them?
[M.D.V]: Modelling has allowed me to travel the world and has made me feel deeply in touch with the people who follow me. But I also love the creative part of my job as a fashion entrepreneur. I love to experiment with new ideas in fashion! I own two companies: Hairbello and Nohow.

[LEMON]: Is Eleonora involved in your businesses?
[M.D.V]: Of course, we are literally inseparable!

[LEMON]: Eleonora, how do you deal with having such a well-known and hot husband (laughs)?
[E.B]: People always ask me this! The truth is that after a while you just get used to it! I know I’m very lucky, not because of his appearance, but for his amazing soul.

[LEMON]: Eleonora, we were checking out your jewellery collection and loved it. Where do you find the inspiration for your designs?
[E.B]: Since I was young my family has owned a jewellery shop and I remember being amazed by it all. I always told myself that one day I would turn my interest into a job and design my own jewellery collection…so here I am!

[LEMON]: You guys are super stylish. Do you have any favourite brands?
[E.B]: Dolce & Gabbana perfectly embrace our concept of Italianity. For us, this means values like family, friendship and that unique baroque elegance recognised around the world.

[LEMON]: And for the kids?
[M.D.V]: Our children are the face of the Nohow kids collection! We love to dress them with those stylish clothes.

[LEMON]: Do you follow any family diet?
[M.D.V]: My rule for keeping in shape is an hour at the gym every day. Scrupulously, methodically. Day after day. If you miss a session, you have to make up for it. Physique is unforgiving. You can see right away if it’s been neglected. That’s why I have my gym at home and I always choose hotels with a gym. I work out, no matter if it’s at night, but I don’t follow any specific diet.

[LEMON]: What can you tell us that nobody else knows?
[M.D.V]: Let me confess a secret: when I was a teenager looking for his place in the world, I lived between NY and London working as a model for Abercrombie. I was represented by a big London agency. I spent a lot of time with other models like me, talking about our dreams and goals. We all agreed that the best thing a male model could ever wish for was to be the face of a DG fragrance. Now, I am the face of K – a DG fragrance. Honestly, I’m really enjoying my position now. It’s literally a dream come true for a self-made man like me.

[LEMON]: Where do you see your family in 5 years?
[M.D.V]: I don’t have a clear vision, just one desire: I hope to remain as close as we are now. If there’s love and support, we can face any problem.

[LEMON]: What’s the first thing that occurs to you when you think of lemons?
[M.D.V]: It’s a very interesting magazine! We love the topics you talk about and we are very glad you chose us!

QUICK QUESTIONS MARIANO DI VAIO Who’s boss in the house?
We’re pretty equal. But most of the time, the bad cop is Eleonor and the good one is me.
Europe or the USA?
Europe. Italy in particular.
Sex or making love?
I love my wife deeply. That’s my answer!
Favourite colour?
Blue
Pants or shorts?
Pants
Red or white wine?
Red wine
Spa or shopping?
Spa

nohowstyle.com/en/brand/eleonora-brunacci

@marianodivaio
@eleonorabrunaccidivaio
@eleonorabrunacci_lab

The post Raw Family – La Bella Famiglia appeared first on My Lemon Magazine.

Same-sex Parenting: Breaking A Taboo

Pedro Leitão — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 19:00:16 +0000

Until a few years ago, same-sex parenting was a very distant reality for many. While in some parts of the world it remains just a dream, in others love has already won the day. Three LGBTQ couples shared their families’ stories with us. Check it out!

By Ana Roque

Photography courtesy of Trevor Davis, Ryan Gardner and Jamie Beaglehole

Trevor and Shaun Davis, UK

Trevor Davis did not think about becoming a parent for a long time. As part of the LGBTQ community, it was not really an option for him. “As a gay man growing up the 1990s, I didn’t think I could ever be a parent. It was not legal for LGBTQ people to adopt until the 2000s. I had kind of resigned myself to the fact that I was never going to be a parent.” Flash forward and he is now happily married to Shaun Davis and they have two kids, Alexis and John, who are eight and six years old. The two siblings were adopted in 2016. When the couple first started their application, they thought they only wanted to adopt one child, but things changed. “We were going through the matching process, looking through children’s profiles and we found (and fell in love with) the siblings we went on to adopt.”
The biggest difficulty they faced was the waiting. “A lot of people are involved and everything takes time because of how busy they all are. From the initial application to actually getting approval took us eight months. Then we started the process of finding a child. From approval to actually meeting our children was exactly a year.” It seemed quite long for them, but it is not always like that. “I know people for whom it has taken less than a year.” This process was neither longer nor more difficult because of their status as an LGBTQ couple. “Actually, Social Services are encouraging the community to adopt. There are so many children needing homes and there are still some people who think they are not allowed to adopt.”
Although adopting might take some time, all the steps are essential. “These children have already been through so much in their lives. Social Services have to make sure that they vet and approve people carefully. They also have to be sure that a ‘match’ is going to work.”
Becoming a parent was life changing. “I feel such an undying love for my children. I am sure it is the same for most other parents – the love you feel for them is beyond anything you can imagine. It is also important to remember that the children you are going to adopt are likely to come from an environment that was not nurturing or loving. All they want is to be loved and protected.” And while the stigma about LGBTQ adoption can be a problem for many couples around the globe, it is not for this one. “In the UK, I don’t think it’s a problem. We’ve not encountered any negative response. People sometimes stop and smile at the us in the street and comment what a beautiful family we are!”

To share his experience and inspire other LGBTQ couples to adopt, in 2020 Trevor wrote his first book – Diary of a New, Fab, Adoptive Dad. “I was keeping a diary about the adoption experience as something for us all to look back on in years to come. Then it just turned into a book.” It had a great response from readers around the world who find in it the hope that one day they too can marry a same-sex partner and have kids. “I receive a lot of messages from LGBTQ people in countries where being LGBTQ is illegal and even punishable by death. I am so grateful to live in a country where I am able to live my life without fear.” Now, a second book telling more stories about the family – Two Dads, Two Kids – will be out in March this year.

For people going through the process, Trevor recommends being patient and to expect the unexpected. “It’s a rollercoaster. We thought we only wanted to adopt one child but as we went through the process, we found we wanted to adopt two. Do not be disheartened when you reach a pothole in the road.” He has no doubt that everyone can get through it, but leaves this warning: “The hardest part is when you’re looking through children’s profiles. Reading their stories and seeing their pictures makes you want to adopt every single one of them. That really tugs at the heart strings.”

Trevor and Shaun do not rule out another adoption in the future. “It’s something my husband and I have talked about. For the moment we are perfect just the four of us. ”

@two_dads_two_kids

Ryan Gardner and Ryan Jackson (The Ryans’), USA

Ryan Gardner already had a son when she met Ryan Jackson. “Ryan came into Cameron’s life when he was four and has treated him as if he was her own ever since.” Together, they have had another boy, Carson, who is almost two years old. “We are The Ryans’: an engaged strong, black LGBTQ couple. Our personal mission is making the abnormal normal. We decided to share our lives on social media to shine a light on how normal our relationship actually is even though society thinks differently. We believe we are just as normal as any heterosexual couple and wear our label proud and out loud. Representation is very important to us, so we strive to be the best version of our community, both black and lesbian, and use our platform to bring visibility to both communities.”

From the moment The Ryans’ decided they wanted to have a baby until the day Ryan Gardner got pregnant took about a year. “We chose self-insemination as the process to have Carson. I needed to track my fertility days so we knew when to insert. I wanted it to be as accurate as possible so it was important to spend a lot of time on this part of the process.”

For The Ryans’, adoption was not an option. “Both of us were always open to carrying the baby but adoption could be an option for us if we needed it to be.” Truth to be told, the self-insemination process could have not gone better. “It was fairly easy. After tracking my fertility days, we just needed to wrap up some logistics with our donor and figure out the best times to insert during my fertility days. We did our research and made it happen ourselves in the comfort of our own home. We inserted three times during my fertility week and my tracker told me to take a pregnancy test on a certain day. We were so anxious that we took the pregnancy test five days before we were supposed to and, indeed, I was pregnant.” If right now they are focused on raising little Carson and the pre-teen Cameron, who is 12, a third child is not off the table. “Juggling between the two with the huge age gap is something else, so adding a new edition is on hold for now! We still want our girl though…”

In a modern world where same-sex parenting still can be a taboo, The Ryans’ are fortunate enough to live in a place where they are not discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. “We live in Washington DC, where being a part of the LGBTQ community is more acceptable than elsewhere. We receive more discrimination for looking younger than we really are than being lesbians.” Although they do not feel it in their own skin, they know discrimination exists. “Everyone will always paint their own picture of how things are ‘supposed’ to be. We are sure there are people out there who think that same-sex couples raising a child is absurd, but if you think about it from the child’s perspective, as long as they are raised with love in a caring, safe and healthy environment then it should not matter if it’s two females or two males.” There are definitely still some barriers that need to be broken down. “People say and ask the darnedest things and even though some do not mean any harm, we still want to be treated like parents. ‘How did you get pregnant?’; ‘Who is the real dad?’ – these are not questions that people would ask a heterosexual couple so do not ask us.”

Finally, the couple has a piece of advice for every LGBTQ couple thinking about having kids: “Becoming a parent is a wonderful thing and society makes it so weird for us. Have your baby and enjoy the happiness that the world hates so much and show them that we are just as ‘normal’ as they are.”

@its.the_ryans

Jamie Beaglehole and Tom, UK

Jamie Beaglehole and his husband Tom adopted two sibling boys – Lyall and Richard, 12 and 11 – in 2014. “We have nephews who are siblings so we always knew the family dynamic would work with two boys. When we started to research about adoptions, we learned siblings were often split and adopted by separate families. To us, that’s totally unacceptable so we decided we would adopt two or more siblings right at the start of the process.”

The adoption process was relatively long – it took two years until the day the boys moved in with them. “It was complex but we were guided through it by a very well-organised social worker. The difficulties occurred before we met our kids. After we were matched with them. That part of the process usually only takes a couple of weeks or months but legal challenges and administrative issues left us waiting for a long time.” Apart from the wait, which can make things harder, there were some upsides to the process. “It was therapeutic to talk about our relationship and concerns to a social worker. It was the first time Tom and I had ever really opened up to a third party and it brought us closer together as a couple. But the day you meet your children for the first time is probably the most amazing, emotional, best day of your life.”And although the process might be long, Jamie recognises that people have to be really cautious. “Adoption comes with such enormous challenges. Everyone needs to be completely positive they are up to the job. Adopted children are different to birth children because they have experienced trauma. Even if they appear to be fine, they have all been removed from their birth families and experienced things a young child should never have to. We are not just parents, we are also therapists, guardians, mentors and councillors. It is a tough job but it is so rewarding.”

Jamie does not feel there is still a lot of stigma associated with LGBTQ adoption, but recognises that “there is always going to be a part of society unable to accept people who are different from them.” Fortunately, his and Tom’s experience has been the best. “We found as a same-sex couple we were generally treated in exactly the same way as opposite-sex couples and single adopters.” Nevertheless, he has no doubt that there are still some misconceptions out there about LGBTQ adoption. “It is our job, as LGBTQ adopters, to challenge and destroy these misconceptions. There is a belief that adoption is harder for us, but it is not true.”

Jamie and Tom have a strong presence on social media. They have a blog and an Instagram account with many followers. “Through our blog and online presence and in the UK LGBTQ community we naturally became quite prominent as a same-sex family.” The feedback is mostly positive and Daddy & Dad is a safe place for LGBTQ families. “What has been more wonderful is how we are naturally encouraging young LGBTQ people to think about adoption as a path to becoming parents. When we were kids, there were no positive LGBTQ role models, let alone gay dads. We are so proud to have become the very thing that we missed out on when we were young.”

But not everything is good and their exposure attracts some questions that don’t deserve answers. “We receive emails, messages and comments from people interested in how we became parents. Sadly, we also receive some inappropriate questions about the boys’ sexual orientation and misconceptions about how people ‘become gay’. It seems people in countries where being LGBTQ is frowned upon are still largely uneducated about the nature of sexuality.”

Finally, Jamie leaves a piece of advice for anyone who wants to adopt. “If an LGBTQ couple or a single person wants to adopt, it is quite likely they can and would potentially make a wonderful parent. The adoption process (and parenting adopted children) takes courage and resilience. These kids carry baggage from their life before they joined your family. There were parts of the process that tested Tom and I to the limit, but we persevered and the outcome is really quite magical. We have no regrets and we fell in love with our sons the very moment we first saw them.”

@daddyanddad

www.daddyanddad.co.uk

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