I met a man about three months later and we have been together ever since. We plan to marry next year. My ex-husband is in another state and has no contact with his son at all. He has been the only father figure in my son's life. Gayle Peterson Gayle Peterson, MSSW, PhD is a family therapist specializing in prenatal and family development.
Children benefit from knowing the truth about their origins.
The earlier factual information is presented in a natural and age-appropriate manner, the easier it is to assimilate. Yet, in order to present this information you must first be comfortable with these facts yourself. It appears from your description that the man you are marrying and forming family with is indeed a father in the sociological definition. Your own comfort or conflict with this distinction will be communicated. Naturally, it is beneficial to resolve your own feelings about your son's reality of these two different aspects of fatherhood before explaining it to him.