This is the first picture book that Puffin has done that features a same-sex couple. When I showed it to other people, they said this could be published. He said: "I thought this would just be for my boys. The children's book, which was published in 2021, is about an adopted girl who loves to read and goes on an adventure with her fathers. He has always been creative and has written musicals, theatre and poetry in the past although he had originally just planned this book for his two sons. Gareth will continue to write books with plans for many more after this one. Sometimes, little children have said things to the boys about why have you got two dads but it's not homophobia, it is just questions because it's not like their family. "I cannot recall any times where we have had issues or people saying anything to us or in front of the children. He says that his children do get asked questions by other children who are curious about diverse families that don't match their own. Offline, Gareth says the reaction to his family has been positive and he hasn't encountered any homophobia. Some said they were going to get the book and burn it as they felt it was disgusting and it was indoctrinating children." Some of the responses were 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve or people offering to pray for us. There were a few that were negative and homophobic. Gareth said: "About 99 percent of the messages were positive and from women which were amazing.
Gareth shared the news of his book being read on CBeebies within local Facebook groups and while he was touched by the lovely messages, he highlighted that there were some that were homophobic.
You don't realise how it affects you until you open the floodgates," he said. It's when you start to probe into your past, which wasn't bad, that I realised how much I had been suppressing and I didn't realise how lonely I had been because I couldn't be open about being gay and knowing that it's okay to be queer. "I struggled because it felt like time was going past yet nothing was happening. However, the process means a very throughout the examination of both parents interested in adopting which can make it an emotional experience. The adoption process can be difficult as it can take a long time to go through. I noticed there was a distinct lack of books on diverse families with two moms, two dads and non-binary people." One of the most rewarding and bonding things is putting a child to bed and reading stories. We decided that adoption was the right thing for us and our lives totally changed for the better. "Early on, we decided we wanted to start our own family. Gareth says that while the process was stressful, it was incredibly rewarding and their lives changed for the better. They began the process which took about 18 months to do. Gareth and Mark looked at lots of different options but ultimately decided that adoption was the best fit for them. Quite early in our conversation, we realised we wanted to start our own family." I met my partner and we have been together for 18 years. I suddenly realised, that this is my life, we can do this and we can make a family. "When I went to university, I started to form relationships with others then Section 28 was dropped in 2004. I wanted to start a family and have that perfect relationship but I was made to feel that wasn't right," he said. I didn't like myself and part of that was that I thought I would never get to be a parent. "When section 28 was introduced, you couldn't talk about same-sex relationships or gay people so I grew up very unaware of gay people. Gareth Peters wrote 'My Daddies' which is available at Five Leaves (Image: Gareth Peters)