I'm a pretty open minded person. I have nothing against what ever life choices consenting adults want to make. I'm just seriously skeptical that many people are able to get a good outcome out of polyamorous relationships. Or especially that it is frequently mutually beneficial to both people in a relationship.
More power to people who can make it work. I'm sure it keeps life interesting.
Most poly people I know are childless. The one relationship I do know that involves children, the children benefit also -- happier parents, more close friends their age.
And why should we be especially concerned about children of nonmonogamous parents? Monogamous parents have relationships all the time, and no one calls them into question.
Children flourish better under stable parenting environments. They don't do as well under single parents or divorced parents --other things being equal.
But the rhetorical question was "won't we think of the children?" Yup, this is the time to think of them and the consequences the choices in mate(s) the parent(s) make.
> Children flourish better under stable parenting environments. They don't do as well under single parents or divorced parents --other things being equal.
False dichotomy here; you excluded the benefits of multiple loving figures in their lives, and instead just went for the cheap shot of equating poly with single parenthood, broken relationships, etc.
In what way(s) do single/divorced parents prevent their children from flourishing? That's a bold claim. I hope you have some evidence.
And by that logic, wouldn't having more than two parents be even better for the children? More adults around, more supervision, more household income. Wouldn't that promote "stability"?
No, additional partners bring contention into view. Who is responsible for what and when? People are emotional creatures --it will bring conflict. Kids don't prefer parental conflict. Is the nonbiological going to pay child support when they decide they found a better less stressful trio or quartet, etc?
Sounds like a private matter to me, why do you think your opinion has any relevance in the lives of others? Maybe I think that people with blue their favorite color are assholes, should anyone care what I think?
When a monogamous parent goes dating, no one bats an eye, but when a nonmonogamous parent does it, people come out of the woodwork to question whether they can still parent effectively.
Monogamous relationships generally come with clear rules and responsibilities, including rules and responsibilities for caring for children. If there are no clear rules and responsibilities for caring for children, that increases the risk that the child-rearing won't be done properly.
What "impacts" are you referring to, specifically?
If your parents are miserable (or split up) because they cannot even talk about, let alone practice alternatives to socially sanctioned monogamy -- does this not also "affect" the children?
More power to people who can make it work. I'm sure it keeps life interesting.