Re-registering a birth

[jaype]

Hi - recently got married after god knows how many years and 3 children. On the wedding day we were given a form for each child allowing us to re-register them as children of our marriage.

However... I don't want to do this. The wording on the DirectGov website says it is to 'legitimise' them. But I don't give a flying fanny that they are / were 'illegitimate', and this has really irked me, to the point where I would rather walk over hot coals than go through all this pointless outdated rigmarole. Frankly, I have better things to do with my time. Does anyone know what will happen if I don't bother? Do I need to expect a visit dragging us all off to an unmarried mothers' home of shame anytime soon?

Oh - husband is named on birth certificates already as the father, the children have his surname and I am not changing my name (no matter what he would like:) ). We're also getting the will re-drawn and they are all named joint beneficiaries as our joint children.

Legally you have to do it. However, we didn't bother for ds1 and nothing happened. In fact I had no idea we were supposed to do it until recently.

Thanks! I might just leave it and pretend I've forgotten. It all seems ridiculously old fashioned. After all, as eldest was 8 it was hardly a shotgun wedding :)

It's not so much about legitimising as such it is about parental rights.
With children born before a certain date even with the father named on the birth certificate mean the father has no parental rights. By re registering as a married couple this makes the parental rights automatic.

I think it is to do with legitimacy because the reason you have to do it is because of the Legitimacy Act 1976.

My understanding is that it is the act of marrying the mother that gives the father parental responsibility rather than the re-registering of the birth.

Husband already has full parental rights as they were all born after the law changed on this - he's named on their birth certs so it's all fine.

Well, I think they are just going to continue to be illegitimate and proud!