What’s not to like with a show chock full of teenage romance and show tunes? Well unfortunately, I have found one thing not to like…

The world in general, it seems, thinks it is within the bounds of acceptability to challenge our parenting skills when enlightened to the fact that we grow babies for other people, then give them away.

It may sound odd to outsiders, but there are very few things as exciting in the surrogacy world as a box full of needles.

For me ( and only me; disclaimer disclaimer, etc) I would have to be a really unfeeling and shallow person to be able to just hand those new parents their new baby and go on with my life as if nothing had happened.

But the bottom line is, two children have been tossed into the middle of complete chaos, and it was laziness that put them there.

Perhaps the trickiest, stickiest issue to discuss when it comes to Gestational Surrogacy is that of compensation. For fun and giggles, I think I’m going to do it. Yes, I’m going to go there… I …

“Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick weighed 5 lbs, 11 oz and Tabitha Hodge Broderick weighed 6 pounds. Both Hodge and Elwell are family names on Parker’s side. The babies are doing beautifully and the entire family is over the moon.”

I gave up my right to make those kinds of decisions the second I agreed to be the caretaker of someone elses child, and giving up that kind of control over self is quite a hurdle to jump over.

An agency can be wonderful in teaching you the hows and why’s, but don’t stop there. Let them guide you, but ultimately take charge of your journey. Decide if this surrogate is someone you can connect with on a deep level, because like it or not she will be a part of your childs story forever.

At what point do we support and love our friends and neighbors in this challenge we call family instead of spending our time looking for and debating about publicly ways in which we are different?