MEComposing

YES, a new template :)

Not that I had anything against my old one (i'd forever thank my friend Vera for accommodating all my specifications regarding the roving cleavage). It's just that i've been using the old one for over a year now. As they say, time for a COOL change...

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My pregnant boss was telling me, several days ago, how she and her husband has stayed till well past 2 am arguing over the issues raised by this DEBATE show they watched, over the matter of giving equal percentage of inheritance to legitimate and illegitimate children.

Her husband's take, of course, was to not punish said illegitimate children by depriving them of an equal opportunity to own a biological parent's properties. True, it isn't any child's fault that he is born. And true, just because he is born outside of wedlock does not make him any less his father or mother's child.

My boss, however, is of the opinion that illegitimate children shouldn't take away from what is already conjugal property. After all, all accummulated wealth and properties become conjugal property (and to hell with pre-nups which can easily be contested if you have the money/connection to get a brilliant lawyer or move a judge/jury) and the rightful heir to all these are the spouse and children left within the marriage.

Bothered enough that I do not have a definite stand, I tried discussing it with my friends. See, it's easy to feel that giving equal percentage to children other than your own is a betrayal of you and your own kids, if you're the wife. I believe that your wealth is part of the commitment you bring/surrender into a marriage and it should stay there. It would also be natural and logical for me to look out for the interests and advantage of my young.

Then again, if i'm the mistress or the illegitimate child, i'd also feel bad that illegitimate kids, thru no fault of theirs, would be shortchanged so, just because of the nature/circumstances of their birth. Whatever happened to playing FAIR?

But seeing as I am not an illegitimate child and hope to be a wife and mother, I can already imagine the pain i'd feel if i'd have to watch my kids share their inheritance equally with some other woman's kids. (not that i probably haven't left my husband already..). I also wonder if men would still be as gracious to illegitimate children if it's the woman who had kids previous or outside of the marriage and luckily enough was a career woman who was able to horde her own money and properties.

Not that it will affect the law, but having given the matter much thought, I do propose the following:
ALL KIDS BORN PREVIOUS TO THE MARRIAGE, AND ALL KIDS BORN WITHIN THE MARRIAGE SHOULD SHARE THE INHERITANCE EQUALLY. HOWEVER, ALL KIDS BORN OUTSIDE OF AND FOLLOWING THE MARRIAGE WOULD BE ENTITLED TO ONLY HALF OF WHAT THEIR LEGITIMATE BROTHERS AND SISTERS WILL GET.

I think this is the best formula for not unduly grieving the 1) women who set you free to get married to someone else and raised your kid/s alone, 2) wife/spouse who committed to growing old with you, and 3) the kids you sired within the marriage who bear your name and should enjoy a lot of things from you because it's their RIGHT.

I also feel that this should discourage people to have extra-marital affairs (I may need to talk about women mostly, those young, impressionable ones who cannot let go of your mature, gentle, established, financially-stable, sexually-practiced husband...) and to have kids with someone not married to them (worse, someone who's married to someone else). I'm sorry but I also feel that such women should be punished by giving birth to kids who cannot share the extent of what he's entitled from a parent because of his parents' HURTFUL, SELFISH CHOICES.

Remember that a cousin is living with us who has 4 other siblings, all of them the 2nd family of her father? I know that it's already hard being in their place... but being right is doing right, and i'd really like for our society to give the right people what's due them... and in this case, respect and first priority for the FIRST FAMILY.That's why we have laws. That's why marriage is the greatest legal transaction one will be making in his lifetime.

And yes, sometimes, respect has to be translated into material things. Because it's not so much the worth of what one is getting, but the principle as to how and why he's getting it.