# Are husbands still required to support adulterous wife's children? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-husbands-still-required-to-support-adulterous-wifes-children/962577 "2022-04-09T12:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 32
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-husbands-still-required-to-support-adulterous-wifes-children/962577/32 "2022-04-12T03:16:57Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Has the reverse ever happened, where a woman moves in with a man and his prior children and then later the woman is required to provide child support? Assuming that the woman holds herself out as the mother of those children while they were living together. California law is supposed to be gender-neutral in this area, so it could happen. However, as I have explained in other threads (I’ll see if I can find them; I’m not feeling like typing out all the details again): 1. the courts have drawn at least some lines against forcing stepparents into parental roles they didn’t mean to sign up for, and 2. the law has always preferred exactly 2 parents. So while it’s possible to become a legally presumed mother or father to a kid who already has one of each (or two of one), it’s a higher standard to meet, if you even want it. ETA: Here’s one thread: [Adopting stepchildren: Can children legally have 3 or more parents?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adopting-stepchildren-can-children-legally-have-3-or-more-parents/957552) --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-husbands-still-required-to-support-adulterous-wifes-children/962577)._