not stupid enough to wish it had been any other way, because I too would not have been born. What is it about the advocates of conventional marriage that for some reason all marriages are havens of rose-tinted bliss in which happy, healthy little vegemites spend their time skipping on the front path? warrenz : Reading this open letter I thought yeh, these people are okay. But the title of the article is misleading, "Ask the children". I was almost singly raised by mother since the age of 7. She's not homosexual, not even close, but if I were honest with myself, not having a father around has affected my development and produced many emotional and sometimes embarrasing moments in my school years that have, in hindsight, gone a long way to explain my introverted personality and inability to develop close relationships with other people outside of my immediate family. I don't miss those things and I don't mind being introverted but I am in no doubt that I'll never truly maxmise my potential because of the absence of a male pack leader, especially during puberty when I thought I was the pack leader. Children without a male and female parent will, I fear, be handicapped in their journey to reach their full potential and its for that reason I will always oppose gay parenting despite my belief that gays should be able to be married under the law. Anon : 16 May 2012 8:33:25am I understand what you are