Raising a half-American child in the Philippines

[Dave Hounddriver]

14 hours ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

I’d be interested in knowing what other parents in a similar situation have done.

Got a DNA test.

Only 99% joke as I found out recently that the USA government seldom accepts at face value that a 63 year old American is the biological father without a DNA test.  Have you registered the "birth of American Citizen Abroad"  Its HUGELY important and may require a DNA test.  I am no expert but went through this trying to help a friend out.

[Snowy79]

I'm afraid I'm going to be a doom merchant when it comes to a kid growing up in the West. Most countries in the West are up to their necks in debt and the third world countries are rapidly catching up. In the next 15yrs futurist are forecasting millions of jobs being phased out.

Within 10yrs there will be no cashiers and shelf stackers in supermarkets. most transportation will be driver less, even medical procedures are getting carried out currently by robotics and some health services are carrying out health monitoring remotely. We've already got machines building houses at ten times the rate any human can achieve and they can work 24/7. 

They say that in the UK alone over 30% of all jobs will be automated. We've already got people with good qualifications leaving university with a degree stacking shelves and others struggling to get a job. What is it going to be like in 15yrs? 

I think in 15yrs the Philippines will be like the West was 5 years ago with lots of potential and inward investment. Maybe dual citizenship is the way ahead. 

[intrepid]

3 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

We've already got people with good qualifications leaving university with a degree stacking shelves and others struggling to get a job. What is it going to be like in 15yrs? 

Is this not the way it has been for decades?  I think there are many factors involved.

[CoffeeRulzMe]

20 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Got a DNA test.

Only 99% joke as I found out recently that the USA government seldom accepts at face value that a 63 year old American is the biological father without a DNA test.  Have you registered the "birth of American Citizen Abroad"  Its HUGELY important and may require a DNA test.  I am no expert but went through this trying to help a friend out.

99% joke?   could be more like 70% joke.  I read somewhere, lone ago, up to 30% of fathers are raising someone elses kid - the whole time thinking it's theirs.  Seems like a rather high percentage to me. I would have guessed 10 - 20%.

 

[Snowy79]

33 minutes ago, intrepid said:

Is this not the way it has been for decades?  I think there are many factors involved.

Previously the degrees were pretend ones in the arts and social studies. Now we are seeing people with real degrees stacking shelves. Stand by for incoming 

[Old55]

Guys, please lets all keep this on a more positive path. The topic is Rising A Half-American Child In Philippines. Thanks! 

[Snowy79]

14 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Guys, please lets all keep this on a more positive path. The topic is Rising A Half-American Child In Philippines. Thanks! 

I hope you took my points as a positive for bringing your kid up in the Philippines. I tried to give reasons that showed the Philippines in a more positive light compared to the West or to at least use the dual citizenship for its best. 

[Old55]

Snowy I think you brought up some great points right on topic.

It seemed to me the questioning paternity of a child to this topic are a bit harsh. I know for a fact in no way did anyone mean to suggest this applied to his situation but still it's better to be another topic. 

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

After my stay in the US Peace Corps I returned back to the US and my Filipino fiance joined me shortly after and we got married in the US. Within a year we both decided to adopt a child from the Philippines after seeing the many children there without a family.  In less than a year we had a new lovely two year old adopted child originally from Davao. He was raised in Rhode Island with us and he later attended university in Philadelphia. We traveled a lot with him when he was a kid so he caught the wanderlust like us, and now lives and teaches abroad in South Korea. He's a great guy and we're very close.

Being raised as an American I see a young man who has a different sensibility and set of experiences. Raising a child in the Philippines would have many good advantages too, but also having many differences in outlook and experience. With good parents looking out for a child, I think that there are no real advantages on either side overall though, and in the end we all make the most of our circumstances if we're lucky.

 

 

 

Your son was lucky to have a mother with such good common sense!

[Queenie O.]

Just now, OnMyWay said:

Your son was lucky to have a mother with such good common sense!

I was the lucky one OMW.., but Thanks.