Dear Dr. Meg,

My name is John and my wife Brittany and I have been married almost 5 years. When I met Brittany she was 3 months pregnant with a little boy, Jacob. He is now 8. I was there in the delivery room, I’ve been there for all of his firsts, and when my wife joined the Army I was there every night while Jacob slept and woke up from nightmares because he missed his mommy.

Now, out of nowhere, Jake’s biological father wants to “be a part of Jacob’s life.”

My wife is confused and scared. I’m angry and scared. I have been listening to your podcasts, reading your articles, and I have your audio book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. That book and your podcasts changed our lives because it gave me confidence in being a parent which helped me calm down and not parent in haste or anger.

With Jacob’s most formidable years in the not-distant future and the struggles he is bound to face in our culture and inside himself, what should we do? Should we throw this monkey wrench into our well-oiled machine or should we try to move on, running smoothly?

Sincerely and thank you…