Phelan Dante Fitzpatrick and his daughter, Artemis. I see two-parent households exhausted all the time because they're not willing to let other people inside.” Phelan Dante Fitzpatrick, small business owner and former politician “I made a very conscious decision, in the beginning, to never say no to accept help because I was not going to burn out. “I lost both my parents many years ago and I did everything wrong,” he says of the early years of parenthood. His advice for other single parents? Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. While the family is certainly winning hearts on TikTok, Rolón points out that although their joy is ubiquitious, it’s not always easy. “I've been really focused on making sure their mental well-being is on point and that we find moments to be really, truly present instead of dwelling on things of the past and not looking too far ahead.” “It's been such a wild ride and my kids have loved it,” says Rolón. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Their recent video (a cheeky callout to the #FreeBritney movement) has been viewed nearly 6.4 million times and garnered 1.6 million likes to date. The family was also featured on the cover of Parents Latina magazine.
Their viral videos have earned them segments on Today, Good Morning America, Tamron Hall and Ellen. The dream of raising a family together was crushed, and though Rolón was seriously considering giving the twins up, thinking, “Who am I to raise three kids on my own?” he decided to follow through with their dream.įast forward seven years, Rolón, a wedding planner by trade, and his three kids - son Avery, 8, and twin daughters London and Lilah, 6 - have turned their tragedy into purpose through TikTok by posting heartwarming videos about the joys of fatherhood and being a family. One week later, Rolón’s husband passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. Sadly, the joyous news ended up being short-lived. “We went through the 10-week appointment and found out that it was twins!” Rolón shares with Yahoo Life. Only this time, something unexpected happened. A couple of months later, they decided they wanted to extend their family, so they went through the surrogate process again. After they got married in 2010, the duo found a surrogate and had their first child, Avery. Thankfully, after a few years of being together, Rolón’s partner changed his mind. José Rolón, wedding planner and TikTok trailblazer To get a more complete picture of the joys of fatherhood, Yahoo Life spoke to four single gay dads who prove that love is what truly makes a family. In fact, gay single dads are part of a growing movement that has seen a significant surge of interest in the last few years, as noted by the New York Times. Census.Īccording to the Family Equality Council, many children in non-traditional families are being raised by a single LGBTQ parent. Yet, despite the hurdles, nearly 15 percent of the 1.1 million same-sex couples in the United States in 2019 had at least one child under 18 living in their household, compared to nearly 40 percent of opposite-sex couples, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Sadly, despite findings from the National Survey of Children’s Health and the American Sociological Review showing no overall difference in a child’s health whether they were raised by same-sex or opposite-sex households, LGBTQ people still face discrimination from welfare agencies. To date, 11 states have given welfare agencies the right to refuse working with LGBTQ people if doing so conflicts with their religious beliefs, as noted by the Movement Advancement Project. While same-sex adoption has been legal in the United States since 2015, as of last year each state is able to make its own laws about LGBTQ discrimination in foster care, second-parent adoption and parental presumption. That uphill journey is even more nuanced when the single parent is part of the LGBTQ community. But for single parents, the journey of parenthood can be difficult without the right support. Whether you’re part of a traditional or non-traditional family, one thing is certain: parenting is no walk in the park. Clockwise from top left: single dads Len Evans, José Rolón, Bret Hunter, and Phelan Dante Fitzpatrick share what they've learned about the journey of fatherhood.