Moms and Dads

Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Bia Harake’s Cute Relationship

by Kevyn Gohu
September 8, 2023

Basketball player Bobby Ray Parks Jr. shares a cute photo of him and Bia, summarizing their bond in one sentence.

The one thing any single parent wants is that their kids get along with their partner. Especially for YouTube vlogger mom Zeinab Harake who shared with Modern Parenting about Bia still being a little shy around people, it’s a welcome sight to her when she sees Bobby Ray Parks Jr. bonding with her kids, 5-year-old Lucas and 2-year-old Bia. Although Lucas is a little more vocal and interactive, Bia’s subtle smiles and mimicking the “v” signs of the basketball player in the photo show how safe she feels around him. The basketball player, touched and overjoyed, adds to his caption.

“There is this girl who stole my heart and she calls me Daddy.”

Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Bia Harake's Cute Relationship — Source: ray1parks Instagram

Loving another man’s kids

Some men will admit that loving another man’s kids is a bit difficult because they didn’t experience the pleasure in creating them. Others fear that if the relationship falls out, they won’t just lose a partner but, an entire family (Marsiglio, 2004; King, 2006; King, Thorsen, Amato, 2014). It takes a lot of courage for a man to love another man’s kids; he’s choosing to love someone who doesn’t carry any blood relation and purely on an agreement. Just like how a mom struggles to love a child she didn’t carry in her womb for nine months.

But when the choice is made and both partners work at it, the results go down like a treat. Bobby Ray Parks Jr. has become a father figure to both Lucas and Bia, even being present for their birthdays. The biggest triumph for Bobby here is that Bia calls him “daddy” which is a big step for a little girl. It’s perhaps her way of saying, “I feel safe enough with him to see him as a part of our family.” Or even more so, “I want him to be part of the family.”

It’s also not easy for a child to see their mother’s partner as a possible father figure

Most kids who grew up with single parents find themselves wary of the new partner because, for them, it’s a disruption of the peace. In their minds, they’ve been holding together well for quite some time and they’re not sure how the new partner will either make or break the peace of their family. But when kids like Bia see a father figure in their mother’s partner like Bobby Ray Parks Jr., it gives them a sense of safety that someone is also supporting their mom.

Reference

King, V. (2006). The antecedents and consequences of adolescents’ relationships with stepfathers and nonresident fathers. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(4), 910-928.

King, V., Thorsen, M. L., & Amato, P. R. (2014). Factors associated with positive relationships between stepfathers and adolescent stepchildren. Social Science Research, 47, 16-29.

Marsiglio, W. (2004). When stepfathers claim stepchildren: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66(1), 22-39.