Talk:Daughter/@comment-3324285-20190920195959/@comment-3452092-20190921162440

Not going to enter into the good or bad parent part of this, but there are legitimate reasons why someone might not apply for child support (that do not appear to apply to this situation). Beyond the obvious one of being able to support the child on your own (which doesn't mean you can't, but might mean you see no point to it), it's possible that the mother may not want to push the issue, because that might mean legally acknowledging the child is the father's when previously that was not the case. Of course the father may be able to push it, but depending on the father he may not want to until money becomes involved. Also pushing for child support makes you legally bound to the father. If the parents aren't married, that might not be the case prior to that point. Pushing the issue of child support might also get the other person to push the issue of custody or visitation, sometimes even when they don't actually want the child. Even in situations where the noncustodial parent is great and the relationship is still amicable, pushing all those things might make it harder on all concerned.

Yes, each person involved did make their own decisions and yes, those decisions (on both ends) are probably influenced by the actions of others and yes, they probably could have made better ones, but then, again, maybe not. Maybe given all the variables a given decision was the best decision for the situation at the time and should not be regretted no matter the invariable consequences that follow all actions both good and bad.