Page 85 - The Circle of Life

There is no legal duty on you to feed or house the step child but if you don't you

will lose your spouse for no parent loves his spouse more than his child.
However, and this is important, you cannot allow a child to be hungry and
destitute in your home. That would be against the Children Act and common

decency. So you have to provide at least the basics if they live with you.

You cannot be forced to pay for the child's college education and when divorced
for maintenance for the child. Clearly this may be different where you live and I

am talking in general terms now.

Baby names

There are two things in the world which never fails to surprise me and one is the

silly names children is given by irresponsible (to say the least) parents. It may
surprise you but many countries have laws in what a child can be named and

usually it will be refused (not registered and thus not on the birth certificate etc)
if it is obscene or offensive. Or if too long for we had some idiots who named

their child after their favourite sport team and think it is very funny. Nor may it
contain symbols without any phonetic significance. It may also not be a rank or

title or be contrary to public interest by which most dictator names would be
refused. Most definitely a swearword would be unacceptable.

There is nothing in law to say that the child must follow his dad's Surename or

that he needs a middle name. Nor are you limited to names unless you are
ridiculous. Typically the limit is about four for then the form runs out of space. I

know of feminists (good folk sometimes) who insisted on the child having a
double barrel name with her Surename and the fathers which is fine. In the old

days an illegitimate child would have only his mother's name but that is not the
case anymore if the parties decide otherwise.

From listening to my American Patriot I gather that a middle name is almost sine
qua non and you can name your child almost anything in her tribe. That is not

the case in Germany where you must tell the gender of the child by the first

name and it must not harm the child later in life. The authorities may refuse
your name and on appeal refuse again. So it is an expensive exercise if you
don't have ears and keep on trying your luck.

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