Is it okay to have different babydaddies à la Natasha Hamilton and Katie Price?

Natasha Hamilton was forced to defend herself after being branded a 4x4 mum, raising the question: How does a 'blended' family affect the children?

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by Jessica Anais Rach |
Published on

Natasha welcomed her fourth child with her fourth partner last year, and has recently admitted she gets criticised for not having the traditional family set up.

"I do get people saying nasty things because my children have different dads.

“But I feel I would have been a worse mum staying in relationships that were detrimental to me and my children’s happiness."

And Natasha's modern family set-up is far from unusual.

Hearts melted across the country when singer Seal took on pregnant supermodel Heidi Klum in 2004, bringing up businessman Flavio Briatore’s child as his own.

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Heidi and Seal then had three children together, before they separated- and in a Whitney Houston twist, her bodyguard became Heidi’s new partner, and an added father figure.

Kerry Katona, Kate Winslet, Mel B and Katie Price are all on their third ‘babydaddy’. Ulrika Johnson (who now has five children) was even nicknamed 4x4, and ‘multiple partner fertility’ is not just confined to celebrities.

A survey done by University of Michigan postdoctoral student Cassandra Dorius, who analysed data on nearly 4,000 American women over a span of 27 years, revealed that over a quarter of U.S. mothers had children with multiple partners.

“I was surprised at the prevalence [of multiple dads],” Dorius admitted.

“And not in a good way. When mothers find a new partner, or a child from a new man arrives, some fathers become less involved in their children’s lives, both financially and emotionally”.

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Katie Price with 3 of her 5 children above

“Juggling all the different needs and demands of fathers in at least two households, four or more pairs of grandparents, and two or more children creates a huge set of chronic stressors that families have to deal with for decades.” Dorius concludes.

While women are widely frowned upon for choosing more than one father for their brood, this phenomenon is both more common and more accepted amongst men.

Could this be because the majority of children live with their mothers?

Before having her third child, Mel B voiced her regrets over her family set up, admitting:

"I’ve got two beautiful daughters by two different fathers – I’m not very proud of that but it is what it is so I have to act accordingly – I’m all about peace and harmony."

Kerry Katona with four of her five children

This brings me to the most important question:

Is the stability of children affected by having a 'conveyor belt' of father figures and half-siblings?

Brody Jenner, who is one of Bruce Jenner six biological children with three women including Kris Jenner (formerly Kardashian), recently revealed his feelings of neglect when Bruce went on to start a new family.

The 29-year-old admitted ‘resenting’ his father for skipping birthdays, adding of Bruce’s relationship with youngest daughters Kendall and Kylie:

"I think Bruce is an incredible human being and I think that Bruce is a great father, he just wasn't a great father to me."

However psychologist Dr Sandra Wheatley believes multiple partner fertility is a positive change in society, telling Closer:

"Each family dynamic is unique and normal to the child growing up within it, as they have nothing to compare it to.

Ulrika with three of her five children

"Once they start growing up they may become aware that their family set up is not a traditional nuclear family and could feel different or judged.

"But multiple partner fertility is nothing new, it's simply the reasons that have changed. Where it used to be the case that if a woman was widowed, she might remarry, now the choice to leave a marriage is more widely accepted.

'The fact that we now have the choice to leave an unhappy marriage and create a happier family unit is something to be celebrated'

"As long as the parents and step parents communicate those choices, and make the child feel loved- whether biological or not- the child should not feel negatively impacted.

"Complications may arise where a step parent does not feel confident enough to discipline their step child, but the positive aspect is that the child might for example get two getaways rather than one.

"All in all I believe the fact that we now have the choice to leave an unhappy marriage and create a happier family unit is something to be celebrated."

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.

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