The rights of a child

This is somewhat of a respost but I like it so much that I want it to stand alone:

It galls me how religious right groups try to undermine every type of parenting except for the one they approve of.

It especially drives me crazy how they try to reduce the complexity of parenting to a single irrelevant talking point of "every child has a right to a mother and a father."

Well here is what I feel a child has a right to:

A child has a right to have a home full of love and support.

A child has a right to clean clothing, good hygiene, and a full satisfied stomach every day.

A child has a right to be able to laugh for no reason at all.

A child has a right to good advice and good discipline.

A child has a right not be feel loved or unwanted.

A child has a right not to be kicked, slapped, verbally, or sexually assaulted by anyone; especially a so-called loved one.

A child has a right to have his or her tears wiped away with a soft hand and a kind word.

A child has a right to as many good Christmases and birthdays as possible.

A child has a right to be applauded to the point of embarrassment for his or her participation in a sport event, a school event, or just for the hell of it.

A child has a right to be indulged every now and then by adult participation in water balloon fights, pillow fights, and imaginary tea parties.

A child has a right not to tolerate any type of bullying.

A child has a right to have someone there to tell him or her not to be afraid of thunder or the dark.

Lastly a child has a right to be nurtured into a responsible adult.

I have absolutely nothing against "two-parent mother and father" households. But until someone can tell me that those households have the patent on these things that a child needs, I refuse to give them precedent over any other household, especially same-sex households.

Feel free to spread this to as many folks as possible.