2 Mums and a Dad is the story of the rocky road of 3-way parenting, a unique exploration of the nature of family in today’s complicated society, as well as an insightful resource for everyone concerned with issues regarding the raising of children such as access, parent’s rights and family conflict.
Fiona is 33 and wants to have a baby. But her partner, Kellie, is a woman and sperm isn’t handy. Fiona has a solution: an English gay guy from work wants to be a dad. Fiona and Kelly want their child to have a father. It seems perfect…but is it?
For Darren, the arrangement seems like a dream come true. With his parents in the UK, Darren will finally be a dad and have family in Australia. Kellie is skeptical. A baby is one thing but a man involved in her relationship – forever? Could he take off with the baby if anything happened to Fiona?
Unsure what being a parent really means – the three draw up a contract outlining how they will raise a child. All they have to do is get pregnant – without sex! Medical advice: a plastic syringe for the sperm, some contrived romance, and the three manage to self-inseminate.
With pregnancy well underway, the cracks in this unusual family begin to show. Arguments over colours of the baby’s room are just the start. The “baby contract” unravels in an explosive confrontation. Could the three end up in court before the child even arrives? And will their own parents think of the baby as their grandchild??
They are entering uncharted legal territory as well. Kellie is not legally considered a parent, nor is Darren. In fact, the law does not recognize them as a family at all – what will happen if the whole thing falls apart?
Once baby Marley is born, 3 way parenting shifts up a gear. The baby lives with the girls, and Darren is allowed restricted visits. But without enough bonding time, Darren is heartbroken. Access rights are renegotiated with new Mum Fiona keeping a careful eye on every move Dad makes.
It’s Darren’s worst nightmare; he’s fighting to see his son and feels Fiona has decided he isn’t a good father. Did they just want him for his sperm? While the blood parents battle it out, Kellie is so entranced by the baby, now she wants one with Darren too.
Shot from the perspectives of Fiona, Kellie and Darren, 2 Mums and a Dad will take the audience on a roller coaster ride from pregnancy to parenthood in a most unusual unit, while also tackling universal issues of relevance for anyone with a family, and isn’t that all of us?
