| rdfs:comment | - Prior to the days of DNA testing, it was impossible to verify a child's paternity, and the only evidence besides the word of the mother (who might not know herself in the subtrope Who's Your Daddy?) would be Chocolate Baby or other forms of Uncanny Family Resemblance, whether to the putative father or the other man. A piece of knowledge embedded in such proverbs as, "It's a wise child who knows his own father," and "Mama's baby, Papa's maybe." Why Luke, I Might Be Your Father is a trope. Examples of Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe include:
|
| abstract | - Prior to the days of DNA testing, it was impossible to verify a child's paternity, and the only evidence besides the word of the mother (who might not know herself in the subtrope Who's Your Daddy?) would be Chocolate Baby or other forms of Uncanny Family Resemblance, whether to the putative father or the other man. A piece of knowledge embedded in such proverbs as, "It's a wise child who knows his own father," and "Mama's baby, Papa's maybe." This can be a source of tension and drama even when the mother is honest, because neither the child nor the father can prove it. The Green-Eyed Monster is very prone to doubt. It can also complicate Heir Club for Men, as the man actually wants the heir to be his child. If the mother refuses to tell, only men who have actually slept with her can even guess, and speculation tends to run wild. Why Luke, I Might Be Your Father is a trope. A powerful force behind My Girl Is Not a Slut and Nature Adores a Virgin in Real Life, because a man's sexual escapades cannot leave the woman wondering, nine months later, whether she really gave birth to that baby. To what extent there is reason to doubt in real life is not known; numerous urban legends claim a high percentage of babies are attributed to false fathers, but the location of the studies determining this tends to migrate a lot. A trope for historical settings, as Daddy DNA Test is the Trope Breaker, unless identical twins, or clones, are the purported father, or for some reason, testing is impossible. Examples of Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe include:
|
