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FunTranscript
00:00It's quite a unique family setup, this one.
00:12We are in southern Florida, Fort Lauderdale.
00:17Known for its ageing and conservative population,
00:21the Sunshine State perhaps isn't the kind of place
00:24you'd expect to find this progressive family unit.
00:29It's two mums, one dad, three kids, all living in the one family home.
00:37My understanding at this point is Linda was with Christopher,
00:44like, they were a couple.
00:47But now I think Linda and Maddy are the couple romantically.
00:54Linda and Chris married in 2016 and had two kids together.
01:00But after six years, Linda dropped the bombshell that she was gay.
01:05The couple broke up but continued to live together.
01:08Then Linda met girlfriend Maddy and moved her into the home she shared with Chris.
01:14When Maddy and Linda decided to have a baby, Linda asked Chris to be the dad.
01:20He said yes and Maddy gave birth to Arlo.
01:24Now all three kids and three parents live under one roof by a choice in a co-parenting idyll.
01:36I'm desperate to know how does this family make it work?
01:41Is there some kind of hierarchy?
01:44And where does Chris fit in all of this?
01:47Because from the outside looking in,
01:50it's like you've got two women in this loving relationship.
01:54He's living with his ex and a new woman.
02:0034-year-old digital creator Linda and 37-year-old entrepreneur Chris are not quite yet divorced.
02:19And do you prefer Chris or Christopher?
02:21Chris.
02:22Chris.
02:23Christopher's too formal.
02:24Except when I call him Chris, he gets really weird about it.
02:27Well, it's because it's lately that you started doing that.
02:29She normally calls me Christopher.
02:30Fine.
02:31But family call me Christopher and then everybody else is Chris.
02:34So I'm Chris.
02:35Yeah.
02:36Melissa, thank you so much for allowing me into your home.
02:38Of course.
02:39We're excited to have you.
02:40No, likewise.
02:41How is it this tidy?
02:42You've got three kids.
02:43Oh, they're not home.
02:44That's why.
02:45And where's Maddy?
02:46At work.
02:47She's at work.
02:48She'll be back around like 4.
02:49Great.
02:50So can I have a look around?
02:51Of course.
02:52Will I take my shoes off?
02:53No, you can keep them on if you're comfy with them on.
02:54Really?
02:55Let me take them off.
02:56I wear my shoes, so it's totally up to you.
02:57Let me take them off.
02:58This is Christopher's wing.
02:59Your own wing?
03:00Yeah, but his room is actually right here.
03:01That's why it's his wing.
03:02Oh, so this is your bedroom?
03:03Well, it used to be over there.
03:04So you two used to share a bedroom?
03:05We used to share a bedroom.
03:06Yes.
03:07A romantic relationship?
03:08Uh-huh.
03:09And then we separated.
03:10Uh-huh.
03:11I came out later in life.
03:12And we decided, you know, that we are going to be a little bit more.
03:13I'm going to be a little bit more.
03:14I'm going to be a little bit more.
03:15I'm going to be a little bit more.
03:16I'm going to be a little bit more.
03:17I'm going to be a little bit more.
03:18A romantic relationship?
03:19Uh-huh.
03:20And then we separated.
03:21Uh-huh.
03:22I came out later in life.
03:24And we decided, you know, that we enjoy parenting together.
03:27That wasn't necessarily the problem in our relationship.
03:30But we decided to move him to this side of the house.
03:33And we were going to continue to co-parent together.
03:35So you two are no longer intimate?
03:37No.
03:38And then you and Maddie have a bedroom elsewhere?
03:41Yeah.
03:42Let's go show you.
03:43Can I see your room?
03:44My old bedroom.
03:45Chris, this is your old bedroom.
03:47Isn't that bad?
03:48Our old bedroom.
03:49Okay, to be fair, he would fall asleep on the couch all the time.
03:51So it's like always been my room.
03:52That's true.
03:53Chris, your room is immaculate.
03:56Well, she designed it.
04:00The kids run back and forth, you know, especially early in the morning.
04:04The boys are five and three years old.
04:07And the youngest is just four months.
04:10So this is Arlo's room.
04:12So this is your four months old.
04:14Yeah.
04:15So Maddie carried your third child?
04:17Mm-hmm.
04:18My child.
04:19Yeah, yeah.
04:20Our child, but...
04:21Yeah.
04:22We're three parents in this house.
04:23Can I see your bedroom?
04:24No, of course.
04:25Your old bedroom, but now you and Maddie.
04:28Yeah.
04:29And this is our room.
04:30Oh, cute.
04:31Look at this.
04:32Just ten months after Chris learned his wife was gay, Linda's new girlfriend Maddie moved in.
04:39Here's our little family wall.
04:41Something we did to kind of incorporate all of us together.
04:44So this is Maddie.
04:45Yeah.
04:46Mm-hmm.
04:47And where are you two here?
04:48Hawaii.
04:49Actually, that was our one-year anniversary.
04:51Oh.
04:52How long have you been together?
04:53It'll be two years next month or so.
04:54Okay.
04:55So still kind of a honeymoon period.
04:56Mm-hmm.
04:57Oh, how fun.
04:58Oh, yeah.
04:59It's definitely the honeymoon period.
05:00So where are all the children right now?
05:02Daycare and school.
05:04And I imagine it's just pretty nonstop with three kids.
05:07Yeah.
05:08I've just had a little girl.
05:09My baby's eight months old.
05:10Mm-hmm.
05:11And it is so hard when there are two of you.
05:14I can sort of see the appeal of having an extra pair of hands.
05:19The best part is if anyone is having an off day.
05:21Yeah.
05:22Or if you need a minute, you can take a minute.
05:24Yeah.
05:25Parenting is no off and on switch.
05:27Linda's, like, super accommodating.
05:30Chris is a real sweetheart.
05:32We know loads of marriages end up in divorce.
05:37And this is maybe quite a radical alternative.
05:43What was a bit jarring was when I asked Linda if I could see her bedroom.
05:50And Chris was like, oh, yeah, it's my old bedroom.
05:52Because, of course, them two were in a romantic relationship.
05:57And now he's elsewhere and there's a woman that's taken his spot.
06:07Will we go and get the kids?
06:08Yeah, let's do it.
06:10With three children aged five and under.
06:13Fingers crossed Elliot is in a good mood today.
06:16I'm interested to find out the part each of the three parents play in the kids' lives.
06:22So, Chris is Elliot and Owen's biological father?
06:26Correct.
06:27And does Chris see Arlo as one of his sons?
06:34Yeah, so we say, you know, he's a sperm donor because of the method, right?
06:39But we say he's a dad because of how he wanted to be, like, father figure.
06:44And just like he is with the other kids.
06:46So, Chris really is a father to all three boys.
06:50Mm-hmm.
06:51You're the mother to all three boys.
06:54Yeah.
06:55And Maddie's role?
06:56We call her, like, the bonus mom to the big kids because, you know, she helps with everything.
07:02And she is the one to play soccer with them.
07:06She's a little more, like, hands-on when it comes to that kind of stuff.
07:10And so she truly is the bonus mom.
07:13Maddie and I jokingly were talking about when we first met, like, literally our second date,
07:20talking about how, you know, she wants to be a mom.
07:23And I'm like, okay, great.
07:24I have two kids.
07:25You can have one of mine.
07:27She's like, no, I want to carry.
07:29And I'm like, okay.
07:30I'm like, would it be weird if Christopher was your donor?
07:33Wait, you're having this conversation on your second date?
07:36Yeah.
07:37When I met Maddie, there was just no doubt in my mind how much I was falling in love with her.
07:47Linda.
07:48And, you know, here we are.
07:50And we did it all.
07:54Hi, Elliot.
08:00I suppose what makes your situation unique is you're all living under the one roof.
08:03Yeah.
08:05Which would take some adjusting.
08:06Oh, for sure.
08:09Owen, you want to say hi, Stacey?
08:11She's going to be spending the night with us.
08:13I'm going to sleep on the sofa.
08:15Is that all right?
08:16Is that okay?
08:17She can sleep on your couch?
08:18No.
08:19No.
08:20Am I in the garden with the dogs?
08:24Owen, how old are you?
08:26Back at the house, it'd be easy to forget this isn't a run-of-the-mill family.
08:31I don't know.
08:32You've forgotten your age.
08:33Same.
08:36I want to find out how Linda went from a traditional marriage with two kids to something so unconventional.
08:44However much you feel comfy offering, can you talk me through what your relationship with Chris was like?
08:51You know, I always remember like the intimacy has always been like an issue for me.
08:56So then the thing with Christopher is that we had babies and so then I started blaming, you know, me being tired or touched out or the breastfeeding on, you know, all of that.
09:08The lack of sex.
09:09Yeah.
09:10Everything, you know.
09:11It's just like it wasn't that connection that I always thought I was missing and so I was searching for it.
09:16But at the time I was actually searching for it like in children.
09:19I was like, I want to feel, you know, that something.
09:22And so I had kids and I was just like, what is it?
09:26At one point I was asking my friend, I'm like, do I need to have like an open marriage?
09:30Have someone else sleep with him?
09:32But it just, that was just the start of really figuring out what the problem was.
09:37Linda is one of a growing number of women who discovered their lesbian after being married to a man.
09:44So when you got with Chris, did you in your heart of hearts believe you were straight or did you, did you know you were gay?
09:52No, I definitely thought that I was straight.
09:54And so I think growing up in like Western Florida, you know, kind of not really being exposed to a lot growing up was why it kind of took me a long time to like figure that out, you know.
10:05But ultimately, like we're still together, like we're going to be in this life together, whether we like it or not, because we have these kids.
10:12So it's like, we might as well make the best of it.
10:14While there's no going back to the way things were with Chris.
10:20Now one thing's abundantly clear.
10:23You are the most sense my life has ever made. Wow.
10:27Linda and girlfriend Maddy are head over heels in love.
10:32So Linda's written that to Maddy, or Maddy's written that to Linda.
10:37It's quite profound, isn't it? You are the most sense my life has ever made.
10:41I can't pretend that me and Kev go around writing such lovely things on our, on our mirrors.
10:57And I cannot wait to meet the woman who was chosen to have a baby with her girlfriend's ex-husband.
11:04Hey, Mama's going to be home soon. Are you excited?
11:16In suburban Florida, I'm finding out if three parents are better than two.
11:21With ex-husband and wife Linda and Christopher, and Linda's girlfriend, 36-year-old Maddy.
11:27Hi. Hi. Hi. Maddy, I'm Stacey.
11:30Good to meet you. Thank you so, so much.
11:34Maddy is a medical practitioner, and has just gone back to work after having baby Arlo, who was fathered by Chris.
11:42Coming through. Hi, thanks.
11:46I'm keen to find out how parent and duties are shared.
11:49You're not pooping, are you?
11:50In this household of two mums and one dad.
11:54What time do you go to bed? Are you allowed to go a bit later because it's the weekend?
11:58A little bit later. Like five minutes.
12:01We're pretty, uh...
12:02We, by we, I mean she, is the really strict one.
12:06He gives them whatever they want for breakfast, whatever they want for dinner.
12:11Well, someone's gotta try to make them eat, like, dinner food.
12:15I'm only starting to scratch the surface of how the dynamics work here.
12:22And right now, the bedtime routine takes precedence.
12:26Look.
12:27Mine includes...
12:29Pure luxury.
12:30A blow-up mattress in the living room.
12:34Good night.
12:35Good morning.
12:36See you.
12:37See you manana.
12:42I can see why some people would find me quite peculiar.
12:49I can't imagine Chris and Linda together, like, romantically.
12:59Which, of course, they did at one time.
13:02Linda and Maddie are super affectionate.
13:05I do wonder what it's been like for Chris.
13:09Because I don't think many people could watch their ex-wife fall in love with somebody else
13:17under the same roof and be genuinely happy for them.
13:29Do this.
13:31Yes, Owen.
13:33And then do that.
13:35Yes.
13:36Oh my, look at you.
13:38Oh, oh, careful.
13:40How did you sleep?
13:42Sleep in the other bed.
13:44That's right.
13:45How did you sleep?
13:47Close my eyes and I go to sleep.
13:49Owen was two years old when his family dynamics changed.
13:53And being a new mum myself, I'm interested to know how the kids find having three parents
13:59under the one roof.
14:01So when the boys wake up, do they go into your room?
14:06And when it became apparent that Mummy was sharing a bed with Maddie,
14:10how did Owen and Elliot respond?
14:13Because presumably there was a time when they would come into Mummy and Daddy's bed.
14:17Initially Elliot, a little bit in the very beginning.
14:22I'd say like after a month or so that I was like here almost every day.
14:26He started like pulling away just a little bit.
14:29He was the one initially that like was all over me.
14:32Like we couldn't be separated.
14:33And then I think he kind of was like, all right, what's going on?
14:36You know, and then we just gave him like the information.
14:38We just talked to them and explained to them like, you know, I'm in love with Mummy.
14:43Mommy's in love with Maddie.
14:44What do the boys call you, Maddie?
14:47So it's funny. Owen couldn't say my name when he met me.
14:51So I was my daddy. That's how he said Maddie.
14:54So that's why you'll hear him call me Daddy.
14:56He knows my name is Maddie, but he just stuck with Daddy.
14:59Which is not stepping on anyone's toes because he goes by Papa.
15:01I don't go by Daddy.
15:03So it doesn't bother me at all.
15:04I think it's hilarious.
15:06It is absolutely perfect.
15:11Okay, I'm ready for spit, Bo.
15:13Spit, Bo.
15:14Spit, Bo.
15:16This morning, I've been instructed to get ready for an all-American sport
15:20I can't say I'm familiar with.
15:22Pickle. Pickle.
15:23Pickle.
15:24Pickle ball.
15:26Twice a month, Maddie and Chris play opposite each other in pickleball.
15:30Wish me luck.
15:32Without Linda.
15:37So cool.
15:38Guys, let's play pickleball.
15:44Ready?
15:52Whoops.
15:53Oh, sorry.
15:54I have to keep it in the green box.
15:57Okay.
16:01Whoops.
16:02I didn't know what pickleball was two hours ago, but now I'm like fully, fully signed up.
16:15Pickleball's more tiring than it looks.
16:18So I take some time out to get Maddie's perspective on how this all started.
16:23So you and Linda, your two-year anniversary is coming up.
16:27Yeah.
16:28A lot has happened in two years.
16:29Oh my God, so much.
16:31We met on a dating app, right?
16:32I was swiping, came across her picture.
16:34I thought I was going to get catfished.
16:36There was...
16:38I was like, oh my goodness, this is not a real person.
16:41So I asked her to go out that night.
16:42We had a great evening.
16:43We spoke all night.
16:45And she told me, obviously, her situation.
16:47I told her mine.
16:48And I left there after we had a kiss.
16:51And it was quite beautiful.
16:53It was sparks, you know?
16:54Jeez, electrical.
16:58And when she explains what her situation looked like, did you think,
17:04I've sort of bitten off more than I can chew here?
17:06I left there thinking, oh my God, what am I doing?
17:08What am I getting myself into?
17:09This is nuts.
17:10And then also, but this could be amazing.
17:13All these thoughts were racing through my mind.
17:15Back and forth, back and forth.
17:16And so by the time I got home, I think she had already texted me.
17:19Like, when am I going to see you again?
17:21And we made plans and we had a second date.
17:24And it went swimmingly and...
17:27The rest is history.
17:28The rest is literally history.
17:29Very few people get to like their mid-thirties.
17:32And they haven't had serious relationships prior.
17:35Like my boyfriend, who's been married three times.
17:37Really?
17:38Yeah.
17:39Why don't you call me Anne of Cleves?
17:41And obviously you don't ever think that you're going to fall in love with someone who's been with three women before.
17:45Yeah.
17:46But life is life.
17:47Yeah.
17:48I never thought I'd be in this predicament either.
17:49Right.
17:50But I'm so happy where I am.
17:51You and Chris seemingly have this pretty solid friendship now.
17:55Yeah.
17:57I think, you know, for me and Chris, it's going to be difficult for him and for us with regards to, you know, him finding his other half and his happiness.
18:06And we want that so bad for him.
18:07And I think that's probably going to be our biggest thing is that whoever he chooses will probably be involved in our lives and our kids' lives.
18:16And I think that that'll probably be the most difficult thing for us as a unit.
18:21Yeah.
18:22For the safety of our children.
18:23And I get that.
18:24Who do you think would be good for Chris?
18:26What kind of woman?
18:27An open-minded woman.
18:28She's going to have to be very open-minded.
18:30Yeah.
18:32I think if you're looking at this, you could think, why is it so important for Chris that he's still very much on the scene?
18:41Why does this work for him?
18:48Roof to be fixed.
18:49This afternoon, I've been allowed to sit in on the family's monthly meeting.
18:53What else?
18:54We need to keep up on the vacuuming daily for allergies and stuff.
18:59As well as being the forum for making decisions big and small.
19:02Any projects?
19:04It's an opportunity to air any grievances.
19:08How about Arlo's morning crying?
19:11How are you doing on it?
19:12I'm going to work on letting him cry.
19:15I'm working on it.
19:16Just let him cry.
19:18It's easier said than done.
19:19I'm good at letting him cry.
19:21You're also across the whole house.
19:23You're not hearing it right.
19:25No, but even before with the other kids, I mean...
19:28Yeah, that was really annoying actually, so it's not a bonus here.
19:32Yeah.
19:33I'm like having hot flashes while my kids are crying and he's just like, it's fine.
19:36I'm like, shut up.
19:38Gotta get through it.
19:39It's not okay.
19:40These are questions for all families, so it's just interesting to see how it plays out when there are three of you.
19:47Yeah.
19:48So how often do you have these meetings?
19:50Once a month.
19:51Just to check in.
19:52Yeah.
19:53Sometimes they get heated.
19:54Emotionally charged.
19:55I get frustrated with Christopher when he doesn't put the kids to bed the way I do it or the time that I do it or how he feeds them.
20:06And I get frustrated with the amount of cups that Linda uses throughout the day.
20:11We do so...
20:12I do so much in the house.
20:13That's his job.
20:14I'm sorry.
20:15That's your job.
20:16You do the dishes.
20:17That's how you contribute.
20:18That's why she piles them up.
20:19Yeah.
20:20She wears her shoes inside the house.
20:21Yeah.
20:22So that is non-negotiable.
20:23Is there anything, sort of the fundamentals, do you disagree on anything there?
20:28I mean, a big one that's coming up right now is whether or not we want to stay in Florida.
20:34Okay.
20:35We don't know how that would work and what that would look like, but I mean, Florida doesn't feel like the place to stay and raise our family and raise our kids.
20:44School shootings, which are outrageous.
20:46Women's rights.
20:47Women's rights.
20:48Gay rights.
20:49Gay rights.
20:50Gay rights.
20:51In 2023, Florida expanded its controversial so-called Don't Say Gay Bill, which prohibits discussing LGBTQ plus issues in schools statewide.
21:04I guess you need to take into consideration your kids are going to, you know, grow up and if their peers, folks, hold those views.
21:16Yeah, exactly.
21:17Well, I guess it's more of a fear of the unknown of like, you know, what they'll be exposed to or, you know, or made, you know, made fun of or, you know, who knows, you know.
21:28Clearly, there are many angles to consider when you live in a parent in Triangle and there are big decisions to be made.
21:35You know, I think the current set up is definitely in its infancy.
21:42Whilst lots of things work, there are going to be hurdles that they're going to have to overcome.
21:49So, is it sustainable? I don't know.
22:02In southern Florida, I'm exploring where the last in domestic utopia is a reality for this family of two mums and one dad.
22:13Chris?
22:14Yeah.
22:15Am I right to come in?
22:16Yeah.
22:17Yeah, I'm actually just making my bed and I'm about to fold a bunch of my laundry.
22:21Hedonistic lifestyle.
22:24Chris, you thought you were going to live this life and you've ended up living something like this is completely different to what you had in mind.
22:33Yeah.
22:34What was it really like when your wife told you, look, I'm gay?
22:43So, well, it didn't happen quite like that.
22:46Okay, so she approached me with, I think I'm bi.
22:52And I remember that it was totally out of the blue because we'd already been together for quite some time.
22:58I think she was feeling it, but she didn't know how to say it because of the pain.
23:01I think I came to her and I said, you're not bi.
23:07You're not straight.
23:08You're definitely gay.
23:09You're definitely lesbian.
23:11Of course, I went through it too with her.
23:13It was a discovery process for both of us.
23:15It must have been really difficult for you at times.
23:18Like, this is your wife.
23:20That was when the pain started.
23:23One part of our relationship was we both started realizing it was over and that was 100% painful.
23:30100% painful for both of us.
23:33In the beginning, for sure, it was like, you know, getting the notifications on my phone of like, of us like two years before or four years before because we had been together for a while.
23:42So there were like, there's so many memories and photos.
23:44I was in it for life, you know?
23:47And we sat down and we're like, okay, so now what?
23:53Do we have to split all of our assets down the middle and buy another home and then we got to trade the kids every other weekend?
24:00And we know people that have gone through divorce.
24:03And when you talk to them about their own experiences, it's all negative.
24:09And staying together for the sake of the children.
24:12And that's not what we did.
24:14That is not us staying in the same home for the kids.
24:18We're staying in the same home because we are capable of doing it and we want to.
24:22So what would you say to those people who are thinking, what is Chris really getting out of this?
24:29I get to see my kids every day and I have a partnership, a co-parenting partnership that is healthy.
24:37I don't see anything negative about it.
24:40It won't work for everybody and that's okay.
24:41Do you think those that love you were worried that you would find it too difficult or too painful?
24:52I think they were more worried about, for example, how are you going to date?
24:58Like, what do you say to them?
25:00By the way, I have three kids.
25:02Oh, and I'm married, technically.
25:05We're going to get divorced.
25:06Oh, and we live together.
25:08She's like, gotta go, bye.
25:09And I practiced like how I would explain my situation.
25:15And I agreed that like, I would say it right away.
25:20I'm trying to think if I met someone and I was really into him and I really fancied him.
25:25And then he's like, oh, by the way, Stacy, I still live with my wife.
25:30I'd be like, ooh.
25:32Red flag.
25:33I would feel so awkward about coming to my boyfriend's house and having to hang out with his wife.
25:42Do you know what I mean?
25:44It is awkward.
25:45I did learn very quickly.
25:49And I kind of expected it.
25:52Dating was going to be more difficult for our own family situation.
25:57Chris happens to have a date with a woman tonight.
26:01As it's still early days of the relationship, a lot of collective thought is going into his sartorial choices.
26:09OK, finishing ironing one shirt.
26:12Is he doing a passion show for us?
26:14So he sort of genuinely wants your input?
26:18Yeah, like he always has been like that.
26:19We have good taste.
26:21He and I have similar tastes, I would say, in clothing.
26:23In women?
26:24In women.
26:26In like a lot of things.
26:28The first time I met him, I almost thought I was like, this guy is like a male version of me almost.
26:34Chris, we're ready.
26:36OK, shirt one.
26:38Oh, I like that one.
26:39Love this for you.
26:40What color shoes are you going to wear?
26:41Black.
26:42The black, all black?
26:43It's kind of like all black.
26:44OK.
26:45All right, that's shirt one.
26:46Long legs.
26:47Chris, you look great.
26:48All right.
26:49Love the shirt.
26:50Are things like this ever weird for you?
26:52Yeah, I have to say that I get that people don't get it, you know?
26:57Like I also didn't get it.
26:58I definitely wasn't like, I'm going to get married and then don't get divorced and then I'm going to have a girlfriend and then I'm going to, we're all going to live together.
27:07Like that just was not the plan, you know?
27:09You guys figured it out together first before you let anyone else, which I think is why your foundation is so strong.
27:16And shirt number two.
27:17Ooh, I like that one.
27:18That's cool.
27:19That's like daytime.
27:20Yeah.
27:21That's a daytime shirt.
27:22I really like that one.
27:23I actually like that one.
27:24I know you would.
27:25It looks really comfortable.
27:26Yeah, I'm going to go with the second one, honestly.
27:28I want to see what else.
27:29I want you to try the flower one on.
27:31So far this is my favorite out of the two.
27:33You like the first one, I can tell.
27:36For dinner, I think this is a good pick.
27:38Yeah, because if you get something on it, you won't be able to tell.
27:42Get a bit of salsa down it, she'll have no idea.
27:45Because I wonder if he just looks at you two and you two are so obviously really into each other.
27:55He never had that with you.
27:57He definitely has mentioned that, you know, he says...
28:01He said he's the both of us.
28:02Yeah, he says, you know, like, it may not be so easy for me to meet someone and fall head over heels in love with them.
28:10And I might, you know, it might take me some time to find what you guys have.
28:16Ooh.
28:18This is for like a theme party.
28:19It's very busy.
28:20It's an optical illusion.
28:22It's catchy though.
28:24Are we going to say which ones we like the most now?
28:27Two.
28:28Yeah, I quite...
28:29It's between one and two.
28:30I agree.
28:31I like one.
28:32What do you fill the part in?
28:33Yeah.
28:34Tonight, actually, number two.
28:36Yeah, right?
28:37Yeah, I like it a lot.
28:39You're so handsome.
28:41You look fantastic.
28:42Do you want to have his baby?
28:44I can't have a baby.
28:45Done that.
28:47In fact, I'm the only lady on this sofa that you don't have a child with.
28:52And then you're both coming back here tonight.
28:55I don't want any...
28:56Because I'm in the living room.
28:59I mean, the house is pretty...
29:00The door does a...
29:01Don't make it awkward for me, Chris.
29:03Do not make it awkward.
29:05Please do not.
29:06Please do not, okay?
29:07Don't you dare.
29:08I think she's at the door.
29:13Hope she likes the shirt.
29:15Have fun.
29:17Bye.
29:18Have a nice day.
29:22So, girls, give me the lowdown.
29:25What do we think of Chris's girlfriend?
29:28We care, obviously, so much about Christopher.
29:32Uh-huh.
29:33And it's just like, when your best friend starts dating someone, you want them to be the best possible person for them.
29:44And so, obviously, we're protective of him.
29:47And I think that's really what it is.
29:49Sometimes maybe a little overprotective.
29:51Oh.
29:53Matty, give it to me straight.
29:54We don't want him to settle.
29:57Right.
29:58And I know that, like, our situation for some reason just happened to be, like, picture perfect. You know? I don't know. We just got really lucky. And we want that for him too.
30:08We care about him a lot. We love him. And, uh…
30:11Do you love him, Matty?
30:12I love him.
30:13Do you?
30:14I do.
30:15In… how so?
30:16In, like, a… like a best friend kind of love, you know? Like a… like a… yeah, like a best friend, a good friend, someone you… you know, I genuinely care about him.
30:27Chris, Linda and Matty seem to be inextricably linked to each other's past, present and future.
30:35This is, uh, when they got married.
30:37Stop.
30:38How gorgeous.
30:39Oh, my.
30:41You look stunned here. So you got married in red?
30:44Yeah.
30:46Yet, could it be that a new relationship for Chris is the thing that most impacts the balance they all work so hard to maintain?
30:57As a guest sleeping in the living room of the two mums, one dad's household, I'm grateful not to have been woken up by Chris and his new girlfriend, who stayed over last night after a successful date.
31:20Meemaw's birthday.
31:22It's Nani's birthday!
31:23Yeah, we call her Meemaw.
31:24Meemaw!
31:25Meemaw!
31:26That's exciting!
31:27How old is she going to be? Do you know?
31:30Three!
31:31Three!
31:32Today, we're heading to Linda's childhood home to meet Linda's and Matty's side of the family.
31:39A chance for me to find out the extended family's thoughts on what the future might hold for the threesome.
31:47This is my mom's house.
31:49Oh, it is?
31:50Yeah.
31:51Did you grow up here?
31:52I grew up here.
31:53My mom and Steve.
31:54Hi, Steve.
31:55I'm the husband.
31:56It's nice to meet you.
31:57Stacey, hi.
31:58Likewise.
31:59Thank you for having me.
32:00That's my grandma.
32:01Barbara, I'm Stacey.
32:02Stacey, okay.
32:03Nice to meet you.
32:04How are you?
32:05Really nice to meet you.
32:06I think sometimes people can assume that different generations have very different points of view.
32:15Their set-up, would that have ever worked for you?
32:18No.
32:19No.
32:20Absolutely not.
32:21Barbara, no.
32:22No, no, no, no.
32:23No, no, no.
32:25It was a surprise, but I was okay with it.
32:28I looked at her kids, because I was concerned, and I was like, he gets to stay too?
32:34And it works.
32:35All of them together, it works.
32:38Yes.
32:39As Linda's stepfather, Steve has watched the family evolve.
32:44So I wonder if he thinks there's a weak spot in the parenting triangle.
32:49Well, I'm certainly concerned for Chris all the time, right?
32:54I don't really understand how he feels.
32:57So anytime you lose your love, it's gotta be hard, right?
33:02So that's something he has to deal with.
33:05I believe him when he tells me he's happy.
33:07You do?
33:08Yes, I do.
33:09I believe him when he tells me he's happy.
33:10I don't believe that he was happy that it happened at all.
33:14Chris has made a decision to have another child now.
33:17It's a big commitment to make, to have a child, much less to have a child with two separate women in the same relationship.
33:24Who am I to say who you should love, even though I have a Christian background?
33:29And that's really, people say, how do you handle a Christian background?
33:33And I say, man, who am I to say what you should do?
33:37What do you think Chris gets out of this living arrangement?
33:41Well, I think that's the toughest part of it.
33:43I think that's the toughest part of it.
33:45Chris has been pursuing relationships, so I think that will happen when his girlfriend or fiance
33:51or whoever he has a relationship with, what happens when she says, hey, let's go.
33:56You ask me what I think.
33:57I don't see him staying.
33:59No, I mean, that would be, he's going to have his own life, you know.
34:03Unless, of course, they move in together and buy a bigger house and who knows, maybe that happens.
34:08Maybe it's completely different, right?
34:10I can't imagine, you know, but I haven't been able to imagine this.
34:14Next to arrive is Maddie's mum, Marina.
34:18Hello, everybody. Oh, no wonder it's so dark.
34:21Who I've heard isn't usually shy about voicing her opinions on her daughter's unorthodox lifestyle choices.
34:28So, Marina, I would love to hear your thoughts on your Maddie's living arrangements.
34:33Originally, when they first met, I had my reservations. I was a little scared. I was worried.
34:38It was a whole new family dynamic. My reservations were, though, how is this going to work?
34:43Why? With three adults.
34:45One of my concerns was when the children start going to school,
34:48and the first thing they usually do in kindergarten is draw a picture of your family.
34:53Okay, let's see. There's mama, and there's bonus mama, and then there's daddy.
35:01There's my brother, Owen, and then there's Arlo.
35:06And they're going to sort of wonder, you know, well, can you explain how this family works?
35:11And children don't, you know, so my concern is that the children be prepared for what society may not embrace.
35:24And Maddie, you know, she went through an awful lot in middle school and high school because of her lifestyle.
35:34Maddie, were you nervous to tell your mom about your plans, your living plans?
35:39A little bit. I think just, I don't know if nervous is the word.
35:44I just knew that she was going to have her reservations initially, you know.
35:47I finally said, I'm not going to get a chance because we're supposed to go out for dinner or something to talk about things,
35:52so we're going to talk about it right now. And then I said, this is what my concern is.
35:56I laid it right out. I said, what happens in a year or two, and Maddie, this isn't working. What happens?
36:02You have a child to think about. You have three children to think about.
36:05I said, you know, we have to be the adults in the room here. What's the deal?
36:09I said, I just, I'm just telling you, you need to have thought all this out because nothing is going to be worse for children than having this blow up.
36:19You're adults, you're expected to handle it, but this, the child, they, they need to know they're secure.
36:25And especially if they're growing up as brothers, I don't want to see them pulled apart, okay? They're a unit.
36:32There's that saying, isn't there, like, three's a crowd. Do you think, and I think this is a legitimate question,
36:38do you think it's possible for all three of them to feel completely equal and completely fulfilled?
36:45I think that, you know, I worry about Christopher because, you know, he's, he's going to need perhaps more in life than just living with the threesome, the three of them.
36:59And he's entitled to be happy. And I don't know how that's going to change because they're committed to the kids.
37:07And whatever Christopher ends up doing, um, it's fine with me, okay? Just as long as the integrity of those relationships remain constant.
37:17I am one of these people who always go to the worst case scenario. And the worst case scenario was, God forbid, something happened to my daughter.
37:26And then Linda and Chris, something happens between them. If that happens, I need to know I have Arlo. I need to have access to Arlo because he's my only, my grandson.
37:39Maddy, we need to move Marina into the family home.
37:42Oh my, next generation home. Oh yes, we're going to buy the next generation home. I can have the mother-in-law suite. We'll buy a house together. I'll get the suite in the back.
37:52And then Steve and Sandy on one of them and me on the other. And you've got the family right there. Oh, I love it. I don't do dishes. I'm sorry, Steve will have to do the dishes.
38:07Happy birthday to you.
38:13I have thought, throughout the weekends, how there may come a time when, you know, the kids are older and Chris might start to feel a bit more redundant in that family home.
38:32Because it's going to be him living with his ex-wife and her girlfriends.
38:42And, you know, he may fall sort of head over heels with someone who doesn't want to subscribe to this situation.
38:53It's my last morning at the house of two mums and one dad.
39:02Call bus six. I'm a mum now, so this feels like me after me.
39:09And I'm up early to help with the chores.
39:12We've got boxes for recycling and then trash.
39:19All right, I'm out of here.
39:20Is that you gone, Maddy?
39:21Yeah.
39:22There you go.
39:23So great meeting you.
39:24Safe travels.
39:26We'll have you back any time. You guys are welcome, all right?
39:28For this family, leaving the state of Florida might be the next big step.
39:33But I want to ask Chris how he feels about what must be the most immediate challenge ahead.
39:39Some people might be wondering how sustainable this is because it's working right now.
39:47But in a couple of years time, are you ever going to really be able to move on with your love life?
39:54Nothing, nothing is permanent.
39:58So we will continue with the situation and our living arrangements as long as it makes sense.
40:07I've started multiple businesses and that's something you learn very quickly as an entrepreneur.
40:12You have to evolve.
40:14And that's the same with relationships. That's the same with family units.
40:18Why aren't more people doing this if it's so great? Do you know what I mean?
40:22Because it's scary. It's scary.
40:25It's scary doing something that people from the outside don't approve with.
40:30Most people care about what their community thinks. They care about what their parents think.
40:35And that's not to say that we don't care. We do. But we're thinking about ourselves.
40:46Before I leave, I have one more question for the person this set up perhaps seems to benefit the most.
40:52Do you think you and Maddie will get married?
40:55You know, I have to get divorced first.
40:57Yes.
40:58Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:00But yeah, we definitely talk about spending our lives together.
41:04And what role do you imagine Chris would play on the day but also in your marriage?
41:10I kind of thought we might ask him to be the person who weds us.
41:15I haven't even told him about that yet. Maddie and I have talked about that. But that would be kind of special, you know?
41:20Oh, wow.
41:21But I think that would kind of tie us all together anyways.
41:26You have two adults that really genuinely love you. I mean, what's your secret? Why are they so in love with you, Linda?
41:36I think I really do just wear my whole heart on my sleeve. I appreciate them. And I think that's also why Christopher and I still have this able to have this relationship. I have nothing to like hide.
41:51How would you describe your relationship with Chris right now, like today?
41:56We definitely fight. I've tried very different variations of motherhood and they didn't suit me. You know, this does.
42:03And it's gonna sound really strange, right? But like, I love him like family. Like, obviously, we are still married. And I would not marry my brother. But I adore him as such, you know? It's not romantic.
42:20But I care about him. And so we're just trying to make it work as best as possible.
42:26Gang, it's time to say goodbye.
42:29Oh, no.
42:30The drama. The drama.
42:32I know.
42:33You have been a dream.
42:34Of course.
42:35I'm really, really grateful. Chris, thank you, Mary.
42:38This isn't for everyone. There are so many families that would not be able to subscribe to this. And I think they know that.
42:47But I do think it works for them.
42:52You have an air mattress here for you anytime.
42:54It's a luxe double air mattress.
42:57Send my love to Maddy and the boys.
43:00I will. They're gonna miss you.
43:01Likewise. Take care, yeah?
43:03I don't think this will work forever.
43:06Ready? One, two, three.
43:08For now, I can totally see the benefits.
43:13Right, gang. All the love. Thank you so, so much, yeah? Take care.
43:18Ciao for now.
43:19Love for now.
43:22OK.
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