Editing Parent (section)

== Types ==

===Biological ===
[[File: Barack Obama family portrait 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Obama family]] portrait, 2011]]

A person's biological parents are the persons from whom the individual inherits their [[gene]]s. The term is generally only used if there is a need to distinguish an individual's foster parents from their biological parents,  For example, an individual whose father has remarried may call the father's new wife their [[stepmother]] and continue to refer to their mother normally, though someone who has had little or no contact with their biological mother may address their [[foster parent]] as their mother, and their biological mother as such, or perhaps by her first name. {{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

=== Mother ===
[[File:Postpartum baby2.jpg|thumb|Newborn baby]]

A mother is a female who has a maternal connection with another individual, whether arising from [[Pregnancy|conception]], by giving [[Childbirth|birth]] to, or [[Parenting|raising]] the individual in the role of a parent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allwords.com/word-mother.html |title=Definition from |publisher=Allwords.com |date=2007-09-14 |access-date=2011-11-04}}</ref> More than one female may have such connections with an individual. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition. The utilization of a surrogate mother may result in explication of there being two biological mothers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bromham|first1=David|title=Philosophical Ethics in Reproductive Medicine|date=1990|page=57}}</ref>

=== Father ===
[[File:Timothy L. Pesto and Kaitlyn E. Pesto play football as their father watches, Tuscaloosa, Alabama LCCN2010638252.jpg|thumb|Timothy L. Pesto and Kaitlyn E. Pesto play football as their father watches, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.]]

A father is a male parent of any type of offspring.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/father |title=TheFreeDictionary |access-date=2014-10-07}}</ref> It may be the person who shares in the raising of a child or who has provided the biological material, the [[sperm]], which results in the birth of the child.

=== Grandparent ===
Grandparents are the parents of a person's own parent, whether that be a father or a mother. Every sexually reproducing creature who is not a [[genetic chimera]] has a maximum of four [[gene]]tic grandparents, eight genetic [[Great grandparents|great-grandparents]], sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents and so on. Rarely, such as in the case of sibling or half-sibling [[incest]], these [[pedigree collapse|numbers are lower]].