When Moms Co-Parent With Their Best Friend: How Platonic Parenting Works

Have you heard of platonic parenting? Best friends Natasha Bakht, 44, and Lynda Collins, 42, from Canada are in this relationship. The moms, however, are not in a same-sex commitment as they have no romantic attachments. Only, they co-parent a son named Elaan.

A Canadian court granted Bakht and Collins legal rights to co-parent Elaan in March. Their unusually modern family setup make them the "first pair of best friends to co-parent a child" in the country, as per Stuff New Zealand.

Bakht, a single lawyer, gave birth to Elaan seven years ago via a sperm donor. Her best friend showed support from the very beginning.

Caring for Elaan, however, became a handful for Bakht as doctors diagnosed the boy with spastic quadriplegia, epilepsy and asthma. Collins helped her best friend take care and raise Elaan.

"I was parenting for years before I put that label on it," Collins said. She suggested adopting Elaan to make co-parenting with Bakht official. "It was right that she could say 'I'm his mom' to doctors and friends, rather than fumbling around with 'I'm his mom's best friend,'" Bakht said.

Bakht and Collins don't physically live together but Collins' home is right above the Bakht's flat. Collins said although she and Bakht have been great friends for years, it might be a mistake for them to stay in one house. "I'm pretty free-form, messy, lots of chaos while Natasha is the tidiest person I've ever met," Collins said.

Their legal setup, however, enables Elaan to receive health care benefits from both his mothers' coverage. Elaan will also receive his parents' pensions in their death.

Meanwhile, the moms are still open to having a romantic relationship with other people. They expect their future partners will welcome Elaan and the arrangement the moms have with each other, as per Daily Beast. Bakht and Collins hope more families like them will be accorded the same right and opportunity in the eyes of the law.