It's Science: 6 Reasons Gay Parents Are The Best Parents

I'd like to buy a team of researchers at the University of Melbourne a few rounds of Foster's beer. And when we're good and tipsy, I'd like them to follow me in a proper "I Told You So," dance for all the people who have long thought that gay parents were on par with the devil.

Why? Because these researchers have discovered that when it comes to "general health and family cohesion," it's the children of same-sex couples, as opposed to traditional couples, that really shine. In a world where some people are still living the archaic dream of "one father and one mother does a family make," this is beautiful scientific news.

Although the researchers also found that two-thirds of these children still experience some form of stigma simply because of their gay parents, what's most important is the self-esteem and confidence that these kids are getting, and society and their issues with a love that's different from the one they know can be damned. It's time to accept or just disappear into the woodwork, haters.

This isn't the first time that researchers have found that children of gay parents are actually better off than those of straight parents, and kicked traditional ideas to the curb.

Here are a six more facts from studies from the past few years that will prove that gay parents really have this parenting thing in the bag.

1. Gay parents are more committed.
Although I know that statement is bound to ruffle feathers, it makes perfect sense. As Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University explains, same-sex couples "tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents." She further went on to point out that gay men and lesbians pretty much never become parents by accident (because, um, biology), whereas 50 percent of pregnancies amongst straight people are accidents. This might be something Putin, as well as the Christian Right here in the States may want to consider for a hot minute, at least for the sake of the thousands of children who are waiting to be adopted.

2. Gender roles are thrown out the window.
Women in the kitchen and men in the office? Pfft. Last I checked it was 2014, and we don't want to roll that way anymore. Studies have found that when couples are same-sex, their kids learn that duties around the house are not about gender, but rather about in which area they're skilled.

3. Open-mindedness and tolerance is just a fact.
It goes without saying that gay men and lesbians truly know what it's like to be oppressed and severely judged for their sexual orientation. Knowing how much judgment not only hurts, but is wrong, makes for children that see the world with far more open eyes than those whose parents have never known adversity. A 2007 study found that, of 46 adults with at least one gay parent, 28 of them regarded themselves more "open-minded and emphatic" than children who were raised by two straight parents.

4. Their kids are more nurturing.
A 2010 study done by pediatricians hoping to find the positive effects of gay parenting on children, found that in addition to kids of same-sex couples being far more tolerant of, well, just about everything, they're also more nurturing to those around them, especially children younger than themselves. With tolerance levels being so high amongst these kiddos, nurturing just seems like part of the natural equation.

5. Lesbian parents have academically successful kids.
Not sure exactly what the magic potion is, but more than a few studies have found that kids who are raised by either one or two lesbian parents do better academically than kids from traditional families. These same kids are also less likely to have behavioral problems and break the rules. 

6. Resilience is part of the game plan.
Similar to the nurture and tolerance that gay parents instill in their children, there's also a lot of resilience at play. We already know that although the tides are changing when it comes to acceptance, the LGBT community still has an upward battle. In that battle comes resilience, and the lesson of getting right back up when you fall. This isn't to say that straight parents don't have this trait, but when you've been kicking and screaming your entire life to get the rights you deserve, you know a thing or two about not giving up and passing that strength of character on to a child is priceless.