Abstract

A friend of mine whom I’ll call “Barry” has a four-year-old son, Seth. Barry treasures Seth and loves him very much. But their family circumstances are pretty bad, and Seth is having a very rough childhood. At the time Seth was conceived, Barry had had no reason to suppose that the circumstances would turn out as they have, but: There has since been a very nasty divorce; there are protracted custody disputes, geographical dislocations, and severe financial difficulties; the boy has fairly serious health problems that are exacerbated by the others; and more. As it’s turned out, it was not good for Barry to have fathered a child at that time, and Barry regrets that he did so. Knowing what he knows now, he would not do it again. In fact, he fervently wishes he had not brought Seth into the world.