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WATCH: Lesbian-Tested Advice for Same-Sex Parents

WATCH: Lesbian-Tested Advice for Same-Sex Parents

The Next Family

Brandy Black and wife Susan break down the must-knows for those who are ready to take the leap or already have.

Almost a year and a half ago, my daughter, Sophia, and I were talking about school, and I asked her if anyone had brought up the fact that she has two moms. I learned then that some of the children had told my daughter that it was impossible for her not to have a father. So after speaking with my wife, Susan, we decided that it was best for our daughter to learn the basics of sperm donation and IVF so she could better understand how my wife and I chose to make our family and how thousands of families all over the world had made theirs too.

You might recognize this video, "How My Two Moms Had a Baby." I run a website called The Next Family, a blog for modern families such as mine as well as other "nontraditional" families. It was this particular video, which features me and my daughter, that we decided to kick off our YouTube channel with, and to my family's surprise, it went viral.

I just wanted to create a video for other LGBT families like ours to have. It was a way for same-sex parents to feel more open about discussing with their children their special family stories. I never imagined the absolute reach or impact it would make in the LGBT community. But it did. And since that video, The Next Family has received many comments and questions, and better yet, a yearning for similar videos that would help gay parents with creating their families and raising their children.

So we recently kicked off a new parenting series that addresses all the questions that LGBT parents might have. We hope this series can help current parents and the prospective parents in the LGBT community.

With these videos, Susan and I try to give it to you straight, just not too straight, if you know what I mean!

We started off with "How Parenting Changes Your Relationship." My wife and I had not "prepared" our relationship for kids. and getting through those first two years was a challenge. Susan and I learned a lot about the importance of our relationship after having kids and we wanted to give some tips to couples or new parents on how parenting can change their relationship and what we would have done differently.

In "Lesbian Moms: What Do Your Kids Call You?" we address the simple things that LGBTQ parents toil over, like "What in the world will my kids call me for the rest of my life?" It's definitely a topic that same-sex parents have to deal with. Will your kids call you "Mom" and "Mommy" or "Dad" and "Pops"? We further explore the importance of these names for your children in their home and social lives.

The next video is probably one of my favorites -- "Lesbian Moms Give Tips on Picking a Donor." Many LGBT parents have to go through the task of finding the right donor whether they choose to go the route of IVF or surrogacy, and it can be a scary, awkward, and stressful experience. We know - we went through it! Here we give some advice on what to do and not do when it comes to picking a donor and our experiences with the process. With this video, I want other prospective parents to know that they are not alone.

In our latest video, we explore how LGBT parents can pick a school that's perfect for their kids and how and why it's important to speak to teachers about your family. When our children got to the age that they had to enter school, Susan and I wanted to find a place that would be welcoming of our LGBT family and would provide the respect that our family and our children deserved. And with this video, I hope our advice can help your family have a smooth and positive school experience.

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

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Brandy Black