Adam and David Haysom-McDowell have been together for over 23 years but both knew very early on in their relationship that they wanted to have children.
After deciding to pursue the often long—and expensive—process of overseas adoption, Adam and David were approached by close friends who said “We can’t let you do that,” and offered to be their surrogate family.
When their daughter Maya was born, they went through steps to have her birth certificate amended.
“So now her birth certificate has both David’s and my name on it as father and father. And so we are both legally her parents,” says Adam.
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Adam and David agree that their biggest challenge is helping Maya understand that they’re a normal family. And together with their support network of family and friends, they’re making sure she has female influences in her life, as well as influences from older generations.
Adam hopes that as Maya grows up, there’s no labelling on what a family should be.
“We call ourselves a two dad family because it’s easier for people to understand. But I would really like just to be known as a family. “
This video originally appeared in the 2015 Mardi Gras broadcast. For more great stories, tune into the 2017 Mardi Gras, airing Sunday at 8:30pm, March 5th on SBS. Check out a teaser below:
