Dear Auntie Kate:I am 33 year old female and separated from my husband. I have lived with my cousin now for over 1 year. Our family believes I'm the nanny of his children because I live with him. He sneaks into my room after his children are asleep and sets the alarm for before they wake up. We now have a child together. So far I have made up a fictitious father but I often think of what I will tell my child when she grows up? If I tell her the truth she could be branded for the rest of her life. Her Dad my first cousin is her only fatherly figure in her life, in fact he is her God-Father as well. We live in Canada which as far as I know does not allow first cousin marriages?
First of all the facts that I have found shows that throughout Canada it is legal to marry your first cousin.
I would only suggest that when your daughter gets old enough to understand the meaning of what relatives, cousins and all of that are, tell her the truth. The worse thing you could do is to lie and she find out down the road that she had been lied to and in that case she could be branded as you call it and could even possibly ruin the relationship you two have achieved through out the years together.
You didn't not say how old your child is so I am left to assume that she is still young yet, giver her all your love and cherish the happiness memories you will build with her, don't worry for now what to tell her 10 or maybe even 15 years from now. That is to much energy to be wasted upon.
Good Luck,
Cousin Sarah
www.cousincouples.com and Auntie Kate are supported entirely by
the efforts of private individuals. Your US dollar contribution,
payable
to "Auntie Kate" can be sent to her attention at Suite #1006, 48
Par-La-Ville Rd., Hamilton, Bermuda. Contributions will be used
to defer
the costs of maintaining www.cousincouples.com and similar activities.