In re Adoption of S.M.D.

ENDY, S.J.,

Jennifer and Ryan had a non-marital relationship in the early 1990s that produced one child, Shane. Still in their teens, their relationship ended eight months after Shane’s birth. They never shared a household or lived as an intact family. Two years later, Jennifer met Charles, a machinist several years her senior. They began cohabiting in August of 1993 and married the following year. Charles has shared legal custody of his two children from a previous marriage.

Ryan maintained regular visitation with Shane on an informal basis for several years. In Shane’s fourth year, *355however,…