As our ideas of sexual and gender identity evolve a friend and I were having a discussion about how important it is for a man (father) and woman (mother) to both be involved in the raising of a child. I'm not sure where else I could pose this question, and since this deals with relationships I figured I would post this here. The traditional family structure has basically been eroded at this point as divorce rates continue to climb and we have new ideas for what a romantic and sexual relationship can be, whether it involves multiple people, gay relationships and transgender people. Is a father and mother figure that important now or is it more important that a child has a stable environment and loving parental figures regardless of their gender? What are your thoughts?