Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Guy Has Suspicions Over Daughter Not Being His, Turns Out It’s Way Worse Than He Could Have Guessed
A distressed man with a beard, lit by blue and orange light, contemplates suspicions about his daughter.

Guy Has Suspicions Over Daughter Not Being His, Turns Out It’s Way Worse Than He Could Have Guessed

38

ADVERTISEMENT

Many people dream about starting a family with their partner for years. They can’t wait to get married, settle down, and bring a baby into the world. And for a lot of couples, becoming parents brings them much closer together. 

But unfortunately, after one man became a father, he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not his “daughter” was actually his. Below, you’ll find the full story that he posted on Reddit, desperately seeking advice, as well as some of the replies invested readers left him.

RELATED:

    Becoming a parent is sure to change a person’s life

    Image credits: Rupinder Korpal/Pexels (not the actual photo)

    But this man couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that his daughter might not actually be his

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: Bekir Donmez/Pexels (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Some readers encouraged the author not to panic, while others said he should definitely get the DNA test to put his mind at ease

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Then, the author shared an update on his situation

    Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)

    Image credits: anon

    The majority of Americans have been cheated on in a romantic relationship

    Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)

    When a married couple finds out that they’re expecting, there’s typically no doubt in anyone’s mind that both spouses are the parents of the child. There’s no need for a paternity test.

    But we’ve all heard stories about adults who suddenly found out who their real father was once they were in their twenties or about women who kept secrets about the paternity of their baby. So unfortunately, stories like this one are not unheard of.

    According to data from the Survey Center on American Life, 57% of young women say that infidelity is very or extremely common, and 44% of young men say the same. Another study found that one in ten married individuals in the United States is still on at least one dating site.     

    Meanwhile, a YouGov survey found that over half of Americans have been cheated on by a romantic partner, either physically, emotionally, or both. However, the same study found that the majority of relationships can actually survive cheating. 

    The situation does become a bit more complicated when there is a child involved, though. It’s estimated that historically in Europe, about 1% of all children born were the result of an affair. But the knowledge of this child can be the most devastating for an unsuspecting spouse.

    Apparently, between 20% and 40% of divorces are linked to infidelity, and only 44% of women who cheated on their spouses are still married. It can be difficult enough to accept that your spouse has been unfaithful, but when there’s a child in the picture, they can be a constant reminder of marriage vows being broken.

    Nearly one-third of men who feel the need to ask for a paternity test find out that they’re not the father

    Image credits: Radhika Studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)

    Clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Wetter, PsyD, told Celebrity Parents Magazine that there is no exact timeframe when it comes to how long it will take people to accept news like this. 

    “It depends on how secure the communication and trust are,” Dr. Wetter explains. “It’s going to be painful and a little more raw initially, but if we talk about when it first occurs, it doesn’t have to take 10 years. Within six months to a year, something could be achievable, but it depends on the dynamics.”

    He notes that it’s a different scenario, however, when the person finds out years later that their partner had a child with someone else. In that case, the person will go through a process of loss and grieving, along with a feeling of betrayal. “It’s a lot,” Dr. Wetter says.

    In this particular story, the father was extremely torn about whether or not to ask for a paternity test. But according to DNA Diagnostics Center, nearly one-third of men who ask for a paternity test find out that they are not actually the father. 

    Whether it was intuition telling them that something was wrong or simply bad luck, it’s important for men to be prepared for some difficult news if they feel the need to ask for a DNA test.  

    We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How would you have handled things if you were in the author’s shoes? Feel free to weigh in, and then you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar family drama right here.     

    However, some readers weren’t satisfied with the ending

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook

    Explore more of these tags

    Adelaide May Ross

    Adelaide May Ross

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Howdy, I'm Adelaide! I'm originally from Texas, but after graduating from university with an acting degree, I relocated to sunny Los Angeles for a while. I then got a serious bite from the travel bug and found myself moving to Sweden and England before settling in Lithuania about three years ago. I'm passionate about animal welfare, sustainability and eating delicious food. But as you can see, I cover a wide range of topics including drama, internet trends and hilarious memes. I can easily be won over with a Seinfeld reference, vegan pastry or glass of fresh cold brew. And during my free time, I can usually be seen strolling through a park, playing tennis or baking something tasty.

    Read less »
    Adelaide May Ross

    Adelaide May Ross

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Howdy, I'm Adelaide! I'm originally from Texas, but after graduating from university with an acting degree, I relocated to sunny Los Angeles for a while. I then got a serious bite from the travel bug and found myself moving to Sweden and England before settling in Lithuania about three years ago. I'm passionate about animal welfare, sustainability and eating delicious food. But as you can see, I cover a wide range of topics including drama, internet trends and hilarious memes. I can easily be won over with a Seinfeld reference, vegan pastry or glass of fresh cold brew. And during my free time, I can usually be seen strolling through a park, playing tennis or baking something tasty.

    What do you think ?
    Crystalwitch60
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’m totally getting the test in that case, cos saying ops father is kids dad , yup to convenient me thinks, a test will show if op is related to him, either way the cheating s k a n k has lost him I HOPE !! no tolerance for cheats ..

    Paul C.
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bye Bye, nice knowing you.

    Binky Melnik
    Community Member
    1 day ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I am sooo frustrated with absolute dolts basing their paternity uncertainty on kids’ LOOKS! They obviously failed biology class, but there’s a cure for a lack of knowledge, and we’re using it to type out our questions! FFS! People can get degrees online! We can take classes on any subject in the world, for free, even! (Thanks sooo much, Mr Khan!) Yet people STILL t*****e themselves over paternity without so much as *glancing at a single chart*. If Gregor Mendel could figure out genetics wth his pea plants in the 1800s without scientific equipment, how can sooo many people with ALL the knowledge in the world AT THEIR FINGERTIPS be so unrelentingly, unapologetically STUPID?! Open a browser window and type your question! But nope! Type your question to Reddit instead without looking to see whether anyone may have had the same question before! Demonstrate your ignorance for the world to see while you claim to suffer terribly! Then go and father five more stupid babies. Argh.

    Load More Replies...
    Michelle C
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is why hospitals should automatically do these tests after the birth. It helps with any genetic stuff and cheating stuff. Paternity fraud is a growing problem and with this dating scene where they go on 3 dates and already pregnant and living together it's easier to do. I watched a video where a girl got mad because her sister told on her because she knew the childs father but he worked at McDs, but chose the other guy she was messing with because he made more money.

    Victoria R
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There was a case where a woman had her baby taken away briefly because her DNA did not match her baby's. She had the birth certificate and confirmation from the hospital that she did in fact give birth. Authorities were going to prosecute her for kidnapping. It turns out there was a rare anomaly that explained why their DNA did not match. Now I don't know exactly how they didn't match up because I'm not a geneticist, but the woman turned out to be her own twin? She had absorbed her twin in the womb and SOMEHOW this affected the test results.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Crystalwitch60
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’m totally getting the test in that case, cos saying ops father is kids dad , yup to convenient me thinks, a test will show if op is related to him, either way the cheating s k a n k has lost him I HOPE !! no tolerance for cheats ..

    Paul C.
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bye Bye, nice knowing you.

    Binky Melnik
    Community Member
    1 day ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I am sooo frustrated with absolute dolts basing their paternity uncertainty on kids’ LOOKS! They obviously failed biology class, but there’s a cure for a lack of knowledge, and we’re using it to type out our questions! FFS! People can get degrees online! We can take classes on any subject in the world, for free, even! (Thanks sooo much, Mr Khan!) Yet people STILL t*****e themselves over paternity without so much as *glancing at a single chart*. If Gregor Mendel could figure out genetics wth his pea plants in the 1800s without scientific equipment, how can sooo many people with ALL the knowledge in the world AT THEIR FINGERTIPS be so unrelentingly, unapologetically STUPID?! Open a browser window and type your question! But nope! Type your question to Reddit instead without looking to see whether anyone may have had the same question before! Demonstrate your ignorance for the world to see while you claim to suffer terribly! Then go and father five more stupid babies. Argh.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Michelle C
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is why hospitals should automatically do these tests after the birth. It helps with any genetic stuff and cheating stuff. Paternity fraud is a growing problem and with this dating scene where they go on 3 dates and already pregnant and living together it's easier to do. I watched a video where a girl got mad because her sister told on her because she knew the childs father but he worked at McDs, but chose the other guy she was messing with because he made more money.

    Victoria R
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There was a case where a woman had her baby taken away briefly because her DNA did not match her baby's. She had the birth certificate and confirmation from the hospital that she did in fact give birth. Authorities were going to prosecute her for kidnapping. It turns out there was a rare anomaly that explained why their DNA did not match. Now I don't know exactly how they didn't match up because I'm not a geneticist, but the woman turned out to be her own twin? She had absorbed her twin in the womb and SOMEHOW this affected the test results.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT