Topic : 12/25 Parent Trap

A married man should have the right to expect any children conceived while he and his wife are married are his.  There should be laws to protect men in the event that this is not the case.  If his name ends up on a birth certificate of a child born that is not his the wife should be held accountable. 

The laws should not penalize him if he finds out that any children he thought were his are not.  Women should be held responsible for their actions. gasp!  I know revolutionary!  What happened here is criminal.  The law is so backward the mother sits there smugly smiling while the legal system holds the innocent man accountable.  This has got to change!

I feel so sorry for the father.  He was duped by this money grubbing woman and when he finds out and reacts (as many of us less saintly souls would) he is clobbered from every side- the law, his ex- his daughter- his new wife and pretty much Dr. Phil. ( He was the only one willing to take responsibility so everyone decided he would be responsible- typical)  Boy that guy can't win for losing - it sounds like something that could only happen to me! LOL  Hope the New Year goes well for you my friend, you deserve a better shake than you have gotten.

I'm glad I saw this show. I can't understand how anyone can hold a man legally responsible for a child that isn't his. I believe that a man who is fooled into taking legal responsibility for a child should have the right to walk away from the legal responsibilities if he chooses to. You can't govern moral responsibility. Biological parents, men and women, walk out on their families every day and there are no laws to govern these dead beat parents. It is so sad that innocent children have to suffer if these emotional situations, but children suffer the same emotional trauma when their biological parents walk out on them.  When are the courts going to hold the mothers responsible for their actions. A biological parent should fully support their children because it is a conscious decision to engage in an act that could likely produce a life. Court ordered counseling for fathers in these situations would be wonderful, but it should still be his choice to financially support these children. I believe men caught in this trap would be more likely to be a father figure to these children, if they weren't held financially responsible.

1st mistake was the child's mother not telling the truth.

2nd big mistake was the husband being so rude, crude and void of feelings to tell the girl she wasn't his.

Both adults were obviously thinking more of themselves then the child that they both parented for her young lifetime.  Plus, this is perfect example of how low our American society has become.  The "Greatest Generation" that fought our huge battles and got us through a huge depression is fast disappearing and the "moderns and so-called progressives" are leading us in the wrong and opposite direction where folks are made to feel that they are the only ones that are important and should be cared for...and the children suffer.

How many more young children will have to suffer endless problems before we all wake-up?

I was married for 6 years and my oldest daughter was 3 when my x and I got together. During the marriage, we had another child. Once we divorced I was told by an attorney that my x would be responsible for child support of both children. I refused to sign anything saying that and let my attorney go and filed the divorce myself. My x asked me if he could continue to have a relationship with my daughter because he'd been in her life for so long and considered her his 1st child. I told him as long as he doesn't hurt her, I'm fine with that. To this day - she is now 18 he is the only dad she knows and they have an awesome relationship. You'd never know he wasn't her biological dad. I've never asked him for support nor have I asked him to help with anything involving her. He has on his own volunteered to take on that responsibility and I don't hold him accountable when he can't, because it's not his responsibility.

How is it fair to allow the biological father to escape financial responsibility just because another MAN has stepped in to take on that FATHER role? Our court systems is all screwed up and although I am a woman, they let us get away with whatever we want, that's not fair. In Enrique's case, I understand him not wanting to pay support for the child, but how can he turn his back on the relationship they built with each other. This would be the time to fight in court to not pay support but keep the relationship if agreeable by the child and the man involved.

My current husband has been paying child support since his child was born (even while they lived together). He has been denied visitation rights by the mother, she only calls when she wants something. She doesn't work but he pays $700 a month in child support. When  does he get rights? How is that if a father does not support his child, he goes to jail. But if a mother does not support her child she gets government assistance. I work hard to take care of my children and whether or not their fathers help out, I still have to take care of them. I don't depend on the system to support us.

I'm on both sides of the coin so I can speak on this issue. Mothers should not be allowed to use children as pawns like some kind of chess piece and biological fathers should take on financial responsibility even if they choose not to have a relationship with their child. Just because another man has stepped in, should not relieve the biological father of his responsibilities. I take my hat off to those men who have stepped up and took on the responsibility of another man, because if not we would have more children out here without fathers.  I agree that children don't asked to be put in these kinds of situations. This is where the  mother needs to take the responsibility and be honest so you don't go 16 years (like my friend) paying for a child that is not yours. You shouldn't be forced to pay. If you allow that man to have a relationship with that child, he's going to do for that child, because he loves them. Do you not think his heart is broken when he finally finds out the child is not his? Men have feelings too and they also need rights. Children need to have both parents in their lives even if they are not together.