Dear Ms. Vicki,
I am enlisted in the Army and have a girlfriend who I really love. She has a son. However, he is not mine.
I want to adopt him. I love him as if he were my own child. So I need advice:
Question #1: Should I adopt him before I deploy or wait until I come home in five months?
Question #2: Is there military housing on a base close to where I will be so I can see my family more often while I am gone?
Question #3: Should I propose before I leave?
-- MJ
Dear MJ,
Whoooaaahhh!! Let's slow this train down, OK? I couldn't help but notice that the first question you asked was about adopting your girlfriend's child. The second was about post housing. The third question was about the proposal.
While you said you really love your girlfriend, you didn't say you were "in love" with her and that this is the girl you cannot live without.
MJ, I see this scenario all too often. A guy meets a girl with a child, and the child's father is not in his/her life.
In your situation, this little boy -- as sweet as he is -- is pulling on your heartstrings. You may even see yourself in this kid and you want to take care of him.
There is nothing wrong with dating a woman who has children. But for a young soldier, you could be inheriting a lot of problems that you can't handle. Guess what happens? These problems become your unit's problems too.
I think you are moving too fast. You have too many unknowns, and you should focus on yourself right now.
Honestly, I think you should just wait until after you deploy to do everything. What's the rush? You need to get to know her and her son better.
Right now, you are quite infatuated with her son and in love with the idea of being a father. You feel needed and wanted. This is normal, but I think if you wait until after deployment, it will give you something to look forward to.
If you wait to propose after the deployment, you also get to see how your girlfriend responds to stress, how she responds to your deployment and if she is trustworthy. Right now, she just needs to be a good military girlfriend.
You also want to know what her relationship is like with her son's biological father. Where is he in this picture?
Bottom line, you have a lot to consider. Please try to stay very objective about my concerns. Write me back.
-- Ms. Vicki
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