New beau may be ex’s baby daddy

Hi, Carolyn: I’m in a new relationship (two months in) and the guy I’m seeing let me know that his ex is four months’ pregnant and there’s a good chance he is the father.

Any normal person would run in the other direction. I, on the other hand, truly care about him and a part of me wants to stick around, since I know we will have a bright future together. The other part of me thinks about all of the repercussions, from this child possibly coming to search for him one day, to the ex changing her mind and wanting him back, to her wanting him to pay child support, etc.  – “Lilly”

If you can’t accept the presence of a child in his life or the expense of child support without feeling resentful, then listen to the part of you itching to flee. Assuming he’s the father, these are realities to plan for, not possibilities to fear. Plus, “I know we will have a bright future together” is a seriously flimsy notch in the “pro” column when you’ve been together all of two months.

If instead you can see yourself being part of his complicated picture without resentment, and supporting him in handling his responsibilities – whether they start now or years from now when the child shows up, curious, on his doorstep – then stay with the relationship at least long enough to see where it takes you.

Squint a bit, and you’ll see this isn’t really about the realities of an “oops” child, it’s about the realities of being human and welcoming other humans into our lives. With each important relationship, you invite in a whole new set of variables, each one bearing the potential to take your joint lives off on some entirely unforeseen tangent. Even dating a childless man could put you on a course toward, say, an international move, a health crisis, job loss, a passion for a cause that hasn’t even occurred to you yet, wrenching choices, or even just a good old-fashioned heart-crushing breakup. Are you ready to roll with futures you can’t foresee?