Which last name to give my baby?

[sntbmom]

My boyfriend and I are still together and expecting a child. I assumed that the child would have his last name. My parents say that if something were to happen, he would have more rights in a custody battle than I would simply because he has the last name of the father. Is this true or would it be based on who the better parent would be? He is epaleptic and drinks (which straight away makes him unstable) though he and I are working on this. We have already discussed that the insurance for the baby will be paid by him because his insurance is better and cheaper. Also, I have been paying all of the medical bills so far and am keeping this documentation just in case.

He also has another son; to claim custody of my son, would he have a case if he didn't charge for custody of his other son?

 

[Duranie]

A last name has nothing to do with custody. Your parents are wrong. As a father he has some rights anyways regardless of the naming.

However, if you 2 are still together, I would just give the baby his last name. It is pretty standard to do that unless he is going to be a deadbeat and totally not involved. I gave my baby the dad's last name, but we wound up getting married anyways so it worked out good. Insisting on giving the chiild your last name is probably going to cause a fire with Dad. Alot of unmarried women give the child Dad's last name, it really isn't a big deal.

 

[sntbmom]

Thanks

That's exactly how I feel, but my parents just have this way of putting on the pressure.

 

[Marinewifey226]

My daughter has my last name and there is NOTHING wrong with that. You can always hyphenate, too. It's all up to you. If anything were to happen custody wise, last name does not matter, and if you are stable and he is not...you will get the child. The courts always try to place the child/children with the mother. That doesn't mean he won't have rights and he won't have partial custody, though. It's your life and if you are having a child, you need to be the parent, not your parents. Do what you think is best and what you want. Good Luck and sending prayers your way!!