About naming the mother and the father “parent 1” and “parent 2”

A Romanian blogger wrote on Facebook about the recent decision of the Paris Municipality to replace the terms “mother” and “father” in birth certificates with “parent 1” and “parent 2”. “What next? Giving numbers to children instead of names?” rhetorically asked French conservative newspaper Le Figaro. No, says the Romanian blogger. Next would be forbidding the use of “mother” and “father” in public, lest they might offend same-sex couples.

I begin to think that even the terms “parent 1” and “parent 2” are insufficient for future birth certificates. Maybe it’s just me, but I find the term “parent 2” rather offensive and… second-class. It may be better to replace it with “parent 1” or just “parent”, especially since it may come handy when marriage is available for more than two partners/spouses.

And, if I begin to think better, even “parent” sounds a bit problematic. It has a… how to call it… rather patriarchal and clerical scent… Oh, I know! “Caregivers”, this is it: neutral, non-discriminatory and non-offensive.