If you aren't going to get married,, just live together, what about kids?

If you just want to live together, fine. But if you want to have children, why not get married first? A child needs a stable family....if you can't even commit to marriage, how can you commit to raising a child....it's a lifetime job being a parent.

You can use the last name of your choice - whether or not you're married, or just living together. Most commonly, the kids get their father's last name, but there's no law stating it must be so - the mother's name can be used, too. Or the names can be hyphenated - it's completely up to the couple; no issue there.

Not sure what your question is re. insurance and schools - kids can still get covered under their parents' insurance (whether the parents are married or not), and they get sent to school (whether the parents are married or not). Parents are responsible for their kids, and in terms of parental responsibility the rules are the same regardless of the couple's marital status.

I think the choice is personal. Last names should not be an issue. I would love to get married but i aint going to use my husbands last name so last names should not be a problem. This issue will be resolved by incorporating my future husband and my last name together so two different names not to be a worry.... Kids will understand that both parents had a identity before coming together...

Most people just live together until they decide to have kids. The parent with the insurance carries it on the kids. You use which ever last name you decide to put on the birth ceritificate, no big deal. Same as when parents get divorced and mom remarries.. she has a different last name than the kids do then too.

As far as the name thing, that's pretty meaningless. I am married. I have a step-son, so his name is different from everyone else's in his moms household. My last name was different than everyone in my households too (because of divorce/remarriage). I grew up well adjusted and pretty normal (depending on who you ask☼)

Generally the child would get the fathers last name, but that's a personal choice for the parents to decide. I agree children shouldn't be born out of wedlock for too many reasons to go into right now, but a last name isn't even on that list. The insurance would cover the child no matter what the name is as long as it is a biological child or step child (they would have to get married for the step child to be covered). Schools are also used to children having different last names than their mothers.

Why can't you have them? The kids usually get the dad's last name, the last name can be hyphenated. They can still be covered under either parent's insurance. They can still go to school and do all the same things kids do when their parents are married. What do you think these single mom's do when they get remarried? They don't change their kids last names to their new husband's, unless the real dad signs away his rights.

You can use either last name. All you have to do with insurance is provide proof that they are your dependents on your income tax. There would be no more problem with schools than marrieds, so I don't understand your question with this one. There isn't much you don't get when you're living together as opposed to marriage other than the divorce at the end of it.

I did this with my daughter's father. When she was born, we did the paperwork to give her his last name. It wasn't really that big of a deal. We were engaged when I found out I was pregnant, and put off the wedding; afterward, something in my heart just wouldn't allow me to go through with it. Good thing, because in the end he nearly killed me. I had no sticky divorce to go through.

I married a younger man last year, we just had triplets, and we are really happy.

Marriage has to be because you want to; there is no 'have to'

YOu could hyphenate your child's last name, giving him/her both of your last names. That would make it easier to hadnle with schools and everything.

The primary responsibility remains the same, if you make a kid, you have to support the kid until he/she is 18 years old.