Unmarried fathers, says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)1, accounted for 36 percent of first births for fathers in the 2000s. Various Virginia institutions, traditionalists and social circles can frown and fret all they want, but practical agencies that deal with the day-to-day realities of life in 21st century Virginia accept unmarried fathers as inhabiting roughly one-third of the landscape. ...
John Washington, aged 25, sailed on a ship from England to Virginia in 1656, serving as second officer. Though the ship wrecked in the Potomac River, it was repaired and could have taken John back to England. He did not return. What he did instead, for which we are all immensely grateful, was father Lawrence Washington, who fathered Augustine Washington, ...
At least 95 percent of non-human mammals show little or no fathering, according to Oxford Scholarship.1 This puts human dads in a distinct evolutionary minority and makes us wonder, why does fatherhood exist? What purpose does it serve? Are You the Wolf or the Bonobo? The experts at Parenting Science point out2 that male wolves are far more fatherly to ...
Some decisions are marvelous and perfect, like opting to return to Mount Vernon for the Spring Wine Festival & Sunset Tour every year. Some decisions are regrettable, like a misspelled tattoo, or marrying the wrong woman. Tattoos can be removed; a bad marriage can be ended through divorce. If she is pregnant, though, you pause and wonder: should I, could ...
In matters of determining paternity—or ruling out paternity—hard facts are far superior to hysteria. Though paternity is an emotionally charged issue, the safety and well-being of a child is at stake. Thanks to the Code of Virginia and other state institutions, establishing or disestablishing paternity can follow a clear, legal path. Consider these five hard facts. Facts for the Child ...