Quote from: RejennyratedMy view is that its rather like transitioning. You can either try, and then succeed or fail, or you can spend the rest of your life regretting that you didn't and wondering what would have happened if you had. To me that would be a tantalan hell - so I'd say for God's sake man give it a try. Then at least you'll know what happened.
I'm not sure I agree with this: if someone tries to transition and it doesn't work out, the repercussions of the failure are mostly on them. But fatherhood is mostly about other people, not about one's own needs; failing at being a father means one has let other people down -- especially the kid in question. Not so cool...
You don't have to jump into this right away. It's a huge commitment, and it's fine to take things slowly. In your position, I'd go ahead with the plan to live together and see where things go from there. If you aren't together yet as a couple, I'd say agreeing to be the kid's father is pretty much putting the cart before the horse -- explore your relationship with this one woman, who is already in the world, before making a decision about starting a family with her.
And remember that there are
lots of ways to be a warm, loving presence in someone's life, be they adult or child.