My son Ryan was finishing college when he told me his girlfriend Shelly was pregnant. Wanting to be sure, I suggested a DNA test — a move that immediately soured my relationship with her. The test, arranged by Shelly’s family, said Ryan was the father, and he stepped up without hesitation.

As their relationship progressed into an engagement, things got worse. Shelly began spreading lies about me, turning Ryan against me to the point where I was uninvited from their wedding unless I apologized for things I never did. I refused.