Studies show that children best flourish when one mom and one dad

The words of John Boehner, “Studies show that children best flourish when one mom and one dad are there to raise them,” speak to an ancient and enduring idea — the belief that balance and harmony within the home form the foundation of a child’s strength. Though the phrasing is modern, the wisdom it reflects reaches back to the earliest days of human civilization, when the family was regarded as the sacred root from which all virtue and stability grew. In these words lies both a truth of nature and a mirror of history: that children thrive when they are nurtured by love that embodies both gentleness and strength, tenderness and guidance — the dual forces that have always shaped human growth.

In every era, the ancients sought to understand the secret of human flourishing, and many came to the same conclusion: that balance is the law of life. The philosopher Aristotle spoke of the “Golden Mean,” the balance between extremes, as the path to virtue. So too within the family, the balance of masculine and feminine energy — of firmness and compassion, of reason and emotion — provides the child with a complete understanding of the world. The mother, traditionally the heart of warmth, empathy, and protection; the father, the symbol of structure, courage, and direction — together they form a living harmony, a union of opposites that teaches the child both how to love and how to stand firm in a complex world.

Yet Boehner’s statement is not merely about biology — it is about presence, the sacred act of being there. For it is not only gender that nurtures the young, but the balance of differing perspectives and the constancy of love. A child raised by two souls committed to their growth — by any form of partnership built upon mutual care — learns the rhythm of cooperation, of dialogue, of shared responsibility. The lesson of his words, when seen through ancient eyes, is not one of exclusion, but of wholeness: that the home must reflect the harmony of the natural order, where the sun and moon, day and night, strength and tenderness coexist in perfect rhythm.

History offers countless examples of how the harmony of guidance and nurture shapes greatness. Consider Alexander the Great, whose education was molded by both the fierce discipline of his father, King Philip of Macedon, and the deep wisdom of his teacher, Aristotle. From one, he learned ambition and strategy; from the other, thought and restraint. Though his mother, Olympias, was equally powerful and passionate, the forces surrounding him were in constant interplay — giving him both drive and reflection. Even in the turbulent kingdom of his youth, he learned that strength without empathy becomes tyranny, and love without structure breeds weakness. Thus, balance is the heart of greatness, whether in kings or in children.

And yet, in the modern age, the family takes many forms. There are homes with one parent, homes with two mothers or two fathers, homes of grandparents and guardians, all bound by the same sacred thread — love and constancy. What Boehner’s statement, in its ancient spirit, reminds us is that children need not perfection of structure, but the harmony of devotion. A child flourishes not through wealth or status, but through the presence of care that complements and completes — through voices that teach, hearts that listen, and hands that guide. The essence of his message endures: children grow best where love has two wings — discipline and compassion — each necessary for flight.

The ancients would have said that the home is the first temple, and the parents, its priests. Within its walls, the child learns the sacred order of the world — respect for self, empathy for others, and reverence for truth. When that temple is divided by absence or neglect, the structure weakens; when it is held together by love and cooperation, it becomes unshakable. This is the deeper meaning of Boehner’s words: a flourishing child is the fruit of harmony, not of convenience.

So, children of tomorrow, remember this truth: a family is not defined by form, but by balance. Strive to create harmony wherever you are — between the firmness of justice and the gentleness of mercy, between ambition and rest, between strength and tenderness. If you are a parent, be both the shield and the light. If you are a child, honor those who raised you by living with gratitude and integrity. For it is from the soil of love and discipline, of motherly care and fatherly guidance — whether by blood or by spirit — that every noble heart grows.

Thus, as John Boehner’s simple but powerful words remind us, children do not flourish by accident. They flourish through balance, presence, and love — the same sacred forces that have, since the dawn of time, built both families and civilizations that endure.