Paternity Testing and Father's Day
A Paternity test on Father's Day Weekend takes on even more symbolism. It's love vs. biology. Who wins?
There's an old joke: "You know what the most confusing day of the year is in my neighborhood? Father's Day!"
I hear that joke told repeatedly when I drive the "Who's Your Daddy" Truck around the streets of NYC lately. Why is it that DNA Testing strikes such a humorous chord with people? After all, it's one of the most serious issues one could ever face in life.
Imagine thinking: Is my child not really mine, at least biologically? And then, does it really even matter? Would it change anything?
Every dad on earth has given it at least a passing thought, perhaps a nagging concern, and in some cases, a nightmare that keeps them up at night and it won't go away until they get a paternity test.
Why do we dads care? Well, Darwin would have an easy answer. We are programmed to wonder. We are built to care about this evolutionarily critical issue. In fact, few issues could possibly be more crucial for a man from an evolutionary standpoint.
But then again, over and over, I see dads whose love for a child prevails over biology. They get a DNA test and find out the child they love is not from their genes - and more often than not, it changes nothing.
Love vs. Darwin
I drive the Health Street truck and talk to dads all day about paternity issues. I can tell you, in the competition of Love vs. Darwin, Love wins. Hands down. No contest.
Happy Father's Day.
