DEAR ABBY: I'm 26, and "Henry," my boyfriend of five years, and I are expecting our first child. We're not married, but plan to be sometime after the baby arrives.
My problem is my mother. She keeps telling me that because Henry and I aren't married, the baby's last name should be my maiden name. She says it's the law. I always believed that a child's last name should be the father's last name, married or not.
Is my mother right, or is our baby entitled to have his father's last name? -- SECOND THOUGHTS IN SANTA ROSA, CALIF.
DEAR SECOND THOUGHTS: According to the Los Angeles County Hall of Records, because you and Henry are not married, in order for his name to appear on the baby's birth certificate, he will have to sign a Declaration of Paternity. This can be done in the hospital at the time of the child's birth. However, because you don't live in L.A. County, and laws can vary in different places, check with the birth clerk at the hospital where the baby will be delivered.