Then And Now

I remember when I was a teen, I had a few friends who got pregnant while in high school. One girl named the father who then rounded up enough friends to claim that they could be the father as well. The girl had her baby and got no help from the father or anyone else.

Another of my friends never tried to get the father to admit the child was his. We all knew; he just ignored the possibility. So sad.

My sons have grown up with two young men who have never known their father. In fact, rumor has it that the same man fathered both boys. He denied the first so the second girl never even tried to get him to admit he fathered her son. Both boys have grown up to be fine young men.

That doesn’t happen now, though. If a young man denies he fathered a child, a mother can have a family judge order a Paternity Test. You can run, but you can’t hide. And it’s about time, too.

I can’t help but think about those young mothers whose names were besmirched and who had to hold up their heads and just raise their kids the best they knew how. And I’m reminded of those fathers who never had the chance to experience their child’s life as only a parent can. How very sad.

I like the way it is now, so much better. Don’t you?