JIM “PAPPY” MOORE: Picking a Baby Daddy

In the 1960s couples were expected to be married to have children. Sometimes an unmarried couple would discover they were going to be parents, and that usually meant “having to get married.” They didn’t HAVE to get married, but they were expected by society to get married. Children being born “out of wedlock” was considered inappropriate.

In 1965 among unmarried white women giving birth, only 12 of every 1000 births was out of wedlock. That’s barely 1 per 100 births. In 1965 among unmarried black women giving birth, only 97 of every 1000 births was out of wedlock. That’s not quite 10 of every 1000 births.

In 1992, among unmarried white women giving birth, only 35 of every 1000 births was out of wedlock. That is 3.5 per 100 births. In 1992 among unmarried black women giving birth, only 87 of every 1000 births was out of wedlock. That’s not quite 9 births from every 100 births.

Now let’s jump to 2021. Fully 40% of all births are to unmarried women, but the real tragedy is in the age groups of women and girls below the age of 30. Virtually 100% of those under age 18 are unmarried. Next come the young women ages 18-19 where virtually 90% are unmarried young women. Even the next rung of 20-24 year old mothers have 68% out of wedlock.

I don’t know what can be done to fix this mess. When support is going to pay for fingernails and hairdos, that should be stopped. When the real Daddy can be found and he wants the child, he should get the child. We have to stop this presumption that the mother is the best person to raise the child.

I invite you to find some of the many shows about single mothers trying to determine who the real daddy is, and watch them. You have to understand the quagmire our society is in, and how many young lives are being wasted.

Looked at from every angle, this is a societal disaster. Children having children. Mostly no Daddy in the picture. Tons of government money thrown at the problem. A disaster for the children, for the parents, for the grandparents, for law enforcement.

There are tons of TV shows where a judge hears from young men and women regarding parental rights, parental duties, and the status of young children. Keep in mind that the females are in the best position to regulate who their Baby Daddy is, or is not. More often than not, the man or boy the female has named as her Baby Daddy is found NOT to be the father by DNA testing.

Unfortunately, it seems that the young mothers name their Baby Daddy based upon who they want it to be. That may be due to his having better income than her others. That may be due to her being emotionally hung up on him. And in the process she may keep the likely father who wants a role in his baby’s life away from that baby. It literally takes an act of a court to get him rights to his child.

Children need a mother and a father. Those may be adoptive parents, or foster parents. Those two groups do God’s work, and the children who find a Forever Home are greatly enriched. I want people to marry and have a family. If they have a family first, I still hope they marry. Children need to know that their parents were wed by the time they’re born. These are my opinions. Yours may differ.