Are Moms Vital?

Every child deserves loving parents, I don't think anyone would disagree with that. I personally believe that it doesn't make a difference whether this means a mom and dad, two moms, two dads, or whatever else. As I have written several times, single parenting must be tough, but a single parent can surely be an amazing parent. I was thinking about this after a talk I had with a more senior person from a German development organization (his role is irrelevant, just a sidenote that I'm working on the job hunt). During our talk, we briefly sidetracked to mothers' difficulties in the job market, and he at some point made the following remark: children need their mothers more than their fathers. I find this an insult to all single dads, who may for whatever reason have to care for their kids alone. As if they were somehow less worthy, somehow less optimal parents. I also find such a comment an unnecessary burden for working mothers, feeding a guilt feeling that their primary role is to nurture. Some mothers may believe they are the more important parent. Some may want to play this role. But this should be a decision made within a family, not by society in a general way. As a sidenote, I favor the legal development that father's increasingly have custody entitelments after a divorce. Again, this depends on each individual case, but the assumption automatically made in the past that the mother is the "better" parent runs counter to my idea of sex equality and criteria for parenting.