It Could Happen To You!

On February 26, 2014, during the Strawberry Letter segment of The Steve Harvey radio show, a man wrote in as follows:

Twenty years ago, he married a woman who was divorced with two daughters with ages ranging between 2 and 3 years. The woman’s ex-husband was a medical doctor who treated her like “shit” and refused to pay child support.

The new husband (who was a blue-collar worker) did not only shower love on this woman but also went on to restore her self-esteem and made her stay home to take care of her children. Moreover, he adopted the little girls and raised them as his kids. He actually paid for the girls’ education up to college. He therefore felt like a proud “Father-of-the-bride” and paid about $6,000 toward the wedding of the older young woman.

But the ex-husband of the woman showed up. To the chagrin of the current husband, the bride-to-be now wanted the ex-husband (her biological father) to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Why so? Because she felt it would be more “befitting” for a “prominent doctor” to perform that role.

When the man protested, his wife “shut him up” saying, “it’s not about you…where did you ever see a step-father walking a bride down the aisle?”

Now, the step-father asked mother and daughter where the so-called “biological father” was in the past 20 years when he was playing the role of daddy to the little girls who have since grown into young ladies? He wondered how a once missing-in-action, deadbeat father could suddenly be elevated to the enviable role of “Father-of-the-bride” all because he played the role of a “sperm donor” many years ago?

This is a strong lesson to all men (and women) who are married to spouses with kids from previous marriages or relationships. Right now, you can do all you can to love, adore and “sweat” to raise a step child. But be prepared for a fateful day…if you are unlucky…when that child will suddenly wake up to realize that you are (after all) not her or his “biological” parent!

This is especially so if the “biological” parent happens to be a “prominent doctor” or some top-shot professional, celebrity entertainer or sports personality whose sins as a missing-in-action, irresponsible parenting, deadbeat fatherhood or whatever is “miraculously” forgiven by all concerned.