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I am a single woman in my late twenties. I am not keen of marriage, but I have a boyfriend. Recently, I had this thought of having a child; I am financially stable and able to raise up the child in a comfortable living. Do you think this is a selfish decision of mine? I wish to find out the problems in the foreseeable future. I live in South East Asia-in a conservative society. Can I give birth to the child without revealing the identity of the father such that the child will have a normal birth certificate?
It is hard to raise a child in any society by yourself, without a great deal of support. My daughter is raising three children, but she lives with us and can fall back on us when she needs help. I suggest that you look a little longer at the reason you are not comfortable with the idea of marriage.
There may be some unhealed hurts from your childhood that probably need to be mended before you begin to parent the next generation. It has been said, "We are doomed to repeat what we don't understand." You would need to ask your local authorities about the need to reveal the birth father on the certificate. No birth father listed would give the child an abnormal birth certificate. I see a number of clients who undergo a lot of emotional distress not knowing who their father is, why he didn't want to be a part of their life, etc. And that is in America where a lot of kids don't live with their father anyway. I imagine in your country it would be even more so. Does your boyfriend not want to be a father?