Out of the mouth of babes!

I am stewing, literally ( beef!) and metaphorically! While I was 'in position' in front of the Hob Small Boy comes in for a Deep and Meaningful...
'Are you married to Daddy?'
'No'
'Who are you married to?'
'No-one'
'When I grow up and I am a daddy, can I get married?'


( I though he was going to ask me here but no such luck- like Father like son!) 'Yes when you find someone you are very good friends with you might get married.'
'Why are you not married to Daddy?'
'I don't know, you'll have to ask him?'
' Do you have to get married?'
'Well no, it's just something you might do if you love someone very much ...(am I wrong?)'
'I am not going to get married, I am going to be like daddy!!!!!'

Hmmm, well daddy has just got a nasty shock in the post. It was from the Passport Office and as we are trying to get Small Girl's passport through before we go to abroad in March I opened it thinking there was a problem!
And what a Problem!
As Big Boy does not have parental responsibility ( in common with all unmarried dad's in the UK, of children registered before December 2003) Then the child's' mother must write the word Mother, print full name and sign and date, 'confirming that she agrees to a passport being issued to...'

This reminds me of when I received an interrogation from Customs on the way into the Netherlands last year!
' Does the father of these children know you are taking them out of the country?'
This was nothing compared to the grilling the children received for the armed Dutch customs on the way back, they did not even speak to me just asked the children to tell them if I was their mother!
All because they have their dad's surname!!

And to cap it all my 'not an engagement ring just an I-love-you-very-much-and-it's-been-10-years' ring has lost one of it's stones! Bought under extreme duress in Bruges after a 'non-proposal' moment at the top of the Belfort tower!


Is it a message from the Gods?
I don't know what the answer is and I certainly don't know what I want anymore, I am moderately happy being a girlfriend, I don't want to be a partner! But how do we not permanently warp our children's perception of marriage?