Department of Education Eliminates 'Mother' and 'Father'

Out with mother, father, mom, and dad.

In with "Parent 1" and "Parent 2."




From the Washington Times:

The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that beginning with the 2014-2015 federal student aid form, the Department will — for the first time — collect income “from a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, if those parents live together.”

The new FAFSA form will use terms like “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” instead of gender-specific terms like “mother” and “father.”

“All students should be able to apply for federal student aid within a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics,” Secretary of EducationArne Duncan said in a statement. “These changes will allow us to more precisely calculate federal student aid eligibility based on what a student’s whole family is able to contribute and ensure taxpayer dollars are better targeted toward those students who have the most need, as well as provide an inclusive form that reflects the diversity of American families.”

I wonder if this will cause arguments in families. Who gets to be "Parent 1"? Who gets stuck being a second-class parent and called "Parent 2"? Will the government provide families with guidelines to determine the appropriate use of the parental labels?

It doesn't seem fair. Shouldn't all parents be equal? The "1" and "2" designation bothers me. First place and second place? I don't like it.

The Department of Education needs to come up with terms that will eliminate this disparity. This is just wrong.