Some would wonder why a young man would want to become a father with a woman in her sixties.
Others would question whether the relationship could survive the pressure.
He said he could not control what strangers believed.
What he could control was how he treated his partner.
He promised to remain involved.
That meant attending appointments, helping with practical responsibilities, listening when she was worried, and preparing for the possibility that pregnancy at her age could involve unexpected medical complications.
He also had to confront a question that had probably never seemed urgent before:
What kind of father did he want to become?
At 25, he was younger than many first-time fathers.
But becoming a parent has a way of changing the meaning of adulthood.
Suddenly, there were things larger than the couple themselves.
There was a child.
There were medical decisions.
There were financial considerations.
There were questions about childcare, education, family support, and the future.
