My daughter-in-law calls the man who was in her mother’s life without any legal relationship, “Dad.”
I believe it’s more commonplace than we believe.
This is why they required BC to enter school.
Uncles as Dads
Grannys as Moms
Complete strangers living with parent.
School is gonna be sure. No kids out with non-parent, without special permission, is the policy at my grandkids schools.
They don’t want foul ups.
‘Nominal father’ is sometimes used in anthropological / sociological studies. It implies no legal or kinship status or specific mechanics such as adoption, just that the guy has a position or acts in the role of father relative to the subject. It may be a continuing relationship or could just be for a specific occasion, such as guiding a teen through their manhood initiations when their biological father is not available.
I was adopted twice.
Dad is what I called those men…both times.
Being adopted the “non-biological father” is simply understood. I do not think there is a word for it. If there is I cannot think what it is. If there is a word to be applied it is I am a bastard. Put another way, I had no unique way to refer to those men but both could call me their bastard son (neither ever did in my case but if you need a word for this relationship I think that is about all there is).
Mostly because the term doesn’t mean someone in a parental role. They are a moral or spiritual guide for a child, but not “Dad”.
Hence the term loco parentis.
Weird thread to get resurrected. There are several terms for the man who raised you, who isn’t your bio-father:
- You know it’s your mother’s second marriage, but he has been around a long time and did much of the parenting: stepfather
- Only your mother knows that he’s not your bio-dad: father
- You’re adopted: father, or adoptive father
I’m sure there are more.
Godfather is definitely wrong – that’s the guy who stood up at your baptism/Christening and promised to help steer you on a righteous path.
Ehh, odd threads getting resurrected isn’t uncommon. It’s probably always a matter of some person googling a question that’s in their head or a topic that they’re thinking about, finding the thread, making an account in order to weigh in (usually with no idea that it’s an ancient conversation), and the necromancer likely never posts again.
Two fine ladies of my acquaintance are married for years now, with two kids - each bore one - a local school department grudgingly admits they’re married, but denies that the kids are siblings - so they sold their house at a loss and got the hell out of that town.
That’s even a worse term than non-biological father 
My first exposure to the term “Godfather” was the third Harry Potter book, so I always thought a “Godfather” was the person who told your parents that if they both die he’ll take care of you.
I agree that the person who raised you is your father, so long as you consider them to be your father.
If the person who contributed sperm to your zygote is not the person who raised you, they’re your “biological” father; but your dad is the male person who raised you.
How would the school board know, unless they did a DNA test? It’s entirely possible they are, in that situation… 
Why do the 2 ladies or the kids care if they are known, at school, on some paperwork they are sibs or not?
There are many many stepdads (and stepmoms)who never “adopt” the kids, legally. They absolutely have no rights to that child. They assume alot of duties, but legally? Nothing.
I happen to know that they used the same sperm donor [not I, although I was asked], so they are indeed DNA-half-siblings. But that’s none of the school department’s business, or anyone except maybe their doctor. They are indeed both born to members of a legally married couple, and why the school decided they needed to make a determination about sibling-hood was almost irrelevant - that the question even came up was the straw that broke the camel’s back about having their children treated differently because of ‘nontraditional parenthood’, with all the repercussions that children can wreak upon each other reinforced by the adults their care was entrusted to.
Since I don’t know that we’re going to get anywhere closer to a factual answer, I’ll just add this trivia nugget about a certain godfather:
OJ Simpson, who was Kim Kardashian’s godfather. Once when he was traveling in the Las Vegas airport, he caught on one of the TV monitors a promo for an upcoming reality series called “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” He was recalled as responding, “Hey, that’s my god-daughter. . . Oh, this looks stupid. It’s not gonna last two weeks.”
My (adopted) sister was VERY close to our Dad (Frank), who died when she was 30. She was devastated.
30 years later (5 years ago) she searched for and found her bio-father (Harvey), now in his 80’s. To make a very long story short, they are now best pals. With my blessing, not that it matters- I also adored our Dad, and also have become quite fond of her bio-father.
While she was searching for him she referred to him as her “sperm donor” but since they’ve gotten to love each other she calls him “Harvey.”
To anyone who asks, she says “Frank was my Dad, Harvey is my Father.”
The school told my Daddy I was deaf and probably brain damaged. (They also fussed like crazy because I was a lefty)
I’m neither. (Yes, I was examined by competent docs) so schools are not quite the standard bearer for what a kid is or is not.
But…saying that, if you want your kid in a public school you gotta follow their rules. There are times to take a stand.
Not every gripe is a reason to change schools. That is hard on a child too(military brat here).
Gotta pick pertinent battles.
Seems that same sex couple were able to make a change for better.
We’re so glad you turned out so bad, bad, bad…
My friends fell for a sparky house in a small town with white church steeple on the green and missed the undercurrents - the school opened their eyes soon enough, and they moved to a place where they are welcomed - but are considering leaving the US altogether.
Bonus Dad.
Father, Dad, etc. There is no need- and it is a bad idea- to qualify it.