I think the thing that is missing from all of this, is that the guy hopes (or had hope) to eventually get back together with the mother, and hopes that by taking care of the son will create an opportunity for this to happen. I do not expect that will happen, but believe the guy hopes it will, even after all of these years.
After all of this time, I do not expect that will happen, unless the mother is so broken down and her SMV has declined to the degree that she has no other options. I would not recommend getting together with the mother after all of this time, considering how she treated her own son. It would be a disaster to have a child with someone who would abandon them because it was inconvenient having them around.
Having said that, I do think the guy should continue to take care of the son, since the son has been with him for years and does not deserved to be abandoned by the only family that he has ever known.
While I do not know what the future will be, the son is now 15 so in only a few more years he will be either working in a trade or starting college and not be living there anymore. After that the guy will be on his own again and in his late 30s, so it is not like he would be too old.
After all of this time, I do not expect that will happen, unless the mother is so broken down and her SMV has declined to the degree that she has no other options. I would not recommend getting together with the mother after all of this time, considering how she treated her own son. It would be a disaster to have a child with someone who would abandon them because it was inconvenient having them around.
Having said that, I do think the guy should continue to take care of the son, since the son has been with him for years and does not deserved to be abandoned by the only family that he has ever known.
While I do not know what the future will be, the son is now 15 so in only a few more years he will be either working in a trade or starting college and not be living there anymore. After that the guy will be on his own again and in his late 30s, so it is not like he would be too old.