Single and desperate for a baby, Brendan and Tatijana create one very modern family. By Cyan Turan
Forget online dating, Brendan and Tatijana hit the net to find parenting partners. By Cyan Turan
76 marieclaire.com.au
I
t was an autumn day in Toron-
to and Brendan Schulz was
waiting nervously in a cafe to
meet, for the first time, the
woman he’d been emailing for
months. But this was no tradi-
tional “date”: Brendan, a 44-year-old
gay man, hoped Tatijana Busic, 41,
would become his co-parent, the moth-
er of his much longed-for baby.
Because, like a growing number of
people, Brendan and Tatijana haddecided they wanted to share the duties
of bringing up a child, but without
a romantic attachment to the other
parent. Many co-parenting partner-
ships start as existing friendships, but
Brendan and Tatijana struggled to find
a co-parent within their circles – so they
turned to the internet for a solution.
Enter Modamily.com, a website that
allows would-be parents to search for a
suitable co-parent. Members set up a
profile, outlining the kind of parenting
partner they want.
If it sounds like online dating, that’s
because it is, says Brendan. “I can’t
remember a time when I didn’t want
children,” he explains. “When I realised
I was gay, one of my biggest fears was I’d
never be a dad.” But, aged 40 and justout of a four-year relationship, Brendan
realised he needed to act on his dream.
He’d always liked the idea of co-
parenting. “I love the thought of my
child knowing their mother and being
connected to a wider family.”
So when he heard about Modamily,
he decided he had nothing to lose. “In
my profile, I made it clear I was
passionate about fatherhood and only
interested in a 50/50 partnership.
I messaged lots of women and Tatijana
and I quickly found each other.”
Tatijana, already mum to Isadora,
eight, was, at 35, single after separating
from Isadora’s father. “I love mother-
hood and wanted to give Isadora
a sibling,” she explains. But after three
years of dating, Tatijana decided toBrendan and
Tatijana, pictured with
their son Milo, spent
a year “courting” each
other before deciding
to become platonic
co-parents.APP-Y
FAMILIES
“We made a baby online”
Like any modern romance,
they connected online, “dated”,
and met each other’s families.
But Brendan and Tatijana
weren’t looking for love ...