I don’t know what’s “platonic” here. Sounds like regular ass family formation to me. I must have missed the point.
The rise of it is probably caused by people living farther away and working overly long hours, so the standard random dating no longer works.
By the time a couple that was formed under regular circumstances (whatever they are), decides to have children (1/2 years after the beginning of a relationship), hormones are long gone.
And propinquity is not a disadvantage; at least people know each other. Deciding to have children after spending a weekend together ("it felt like a date") is foolish, and a recipe for a disaster, in my opinion.
The article (and overall, the idea) is also dangerously ambiguous about the logistics:
- the decision to have a child with someone [...] in most cases, choose not to live with
In real world, this equates to parents choosing other partners in the mid/long term.
This is therefore radically different than an arranged marriage.
I'd define this as an arranged patchwork family. Whether this is better or not than an arranged marriage (in an extended sense, e.g. two people staying together only because of the children), it's pretty much impossible to say.
Personally I don't need the flirting and dating and romance and all that stuff. What I need is someone who shares my values and is willing to enter into a marriage as a social contract. Being married has a ton of personal and social benefits, and having a spouse who brings in as much income as you works like an insurance policy of sorts in a number of life situations (e.g. long-term job loss).
Obviously there needs to be chemistry if both parties are interested in a monogamic sexual relationship being part of their marriage. But if both parties are willing to dispense with all the dating rituals, that can be determined in seconds.
Damn, how do I turn this into an article and get my money!
I sort of envision a writer's table where we people brainstorm ways of repackaging pretty obvious things in ways that sound new and exciting so as to get paid. Maybe this is a business model waiting to happen.
on edit: fixed error
Affection?
Why use the word “platonic” when it doesn’t really apply to this situation?
And just like most things on the internet, it’s not like this is a new phenomenon. People have been marrying and having kids for centuries without being “in love”.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Turkey%20Bas...
Obviously it can have other non-kitchen uses (transferring semen).