Which Parent is the BEST?

In modern American society, there are children being brought up in so many different ways. There are parenting styles, such as Baumrind's authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful and indulgent parenting, but these certainly are not all that matter when raising a child. Types of families come into play as well, such as a single-mother family, single-father family, nuclear family, families with step-parents, same-sex parents, children being raised by grandparents, and so on. Institutions also play a vital role. Where is the child going to school? Some people prefer private schools to public schools. Some people would like to send their children to private schooling, but it can be quite costly. Cathedral Prep High School and Villa Maria Academy cost over $6,000 annually. Many people do not have the financial means for that. Recently there have been more charter schools being created. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy is an excellent example. Some of the smartest students in Erie attend Collegiate Academy and receive an outstanding education, and this is all for free!

With all that is mentioned above, what type of parent is the best? Which type of family? And to which school should the parents send their child? I believe that there is more than one right answer to all of these. One might believe that the nuclear family using an authoritative parenting style that has some money would be ideal, but there aren't too many of these today in America. 

Not everyone is vastly blessed, so each parent should just accept who they are and what they have and raise their child in the best way possible. Love is crucial to raising any child. And some things that a child could certainly do without are abuse, whether emotional or physical, and neglect. A child is such a precious being, and their socialization process lies heavily on the parent(s).  

"I didn't know, that I could ever love anyone this much."  -Sophia in Pregnant With Complications about her son. 

 "We are all born for love...it is the principle existence and it's only end." -Benjamin Disraeli

Discussion Questions:

1. All things considered, shouldn't it be possible that any parent, whether single, divorced, married, gay or lesbian could raise a child to be an excellent adult? 

2. Are two loving gay parents enough for the child? Consider how many children are being raised by single-parents, which is over 25% according to a U.S. Census Bureau Report.

3. Do you think public or private schools are better for the education of your child? And why?