What I meant was, my children haven't been with, or been in contact with, their father, Mr. Forrest, in a very long time- about 12 years; excluding a brief time in 2001, when he visited for one hour per day (and even then, the kids weren't thrilled of his arrival). Through those years, they've only been bothered by the "-Forrest" addition to their last name, and in school, are used to writing just the "Parker" last name. My oldest, Alan, is a 15-year-old freshman in Lewistown Area High School, and proudly plays in their Football, and soon to be, Baseball programs. We've talked on multiple occasions about his last name, as it still appears legally in the school system as "Forrest", and he doesn't want to graduate with the "-Forrest" last name. Also, my 13-year-old daughter thinks that the "-Forrest" is annoying, and she agrees with my son on the graduation issue. I can relate to my children, as I also have been through last name changes, be it my mother remarrying, or an adoption, I have changed my last name two times, and understand that "unfamiliar" feeling that comes with the change. As I said earlier, they barely knew their father, so having his last name is quite "unfamiliar" to them as far as living with that as a reminder to what they had to go through when he was around. The way my kids feel, coupled with what I've been through, can only push me further in asking how, and what, I should do to get that "-Forrest" taken out of their legal names, while retaining the "Parker" last name, as well as what you could do to help me, and them, out. So, what we would like to accomplish in court is, basically, just the removal of the "-Forrest" last name, so that the schools may print their names as just "Parker", and if you could also change their birth certification, so that it appears with only the "Parker" last name, we would be extremely grateful to have the burden of "father"'s last name lifted. Even though, we have not seen nor unknown where he lives from. Mr. Forrest hadn't been contacted us via letters, holidays & birthdays cards, phone calls nor packages to them from him showing his return address on it as to show us where he lives from in time his mail went out. My kids had never received a child support; And, they had no sights to Mr. Forrest for many years. I am 100% fully custody to kids living with me. I filed a divorce against Mr. Forrest in 2000 and finalize in 2001. I filed restraining order against him three times before divorce was filled. My kids wrote their last name as Parker since they were infants but the graduation certificate at the Elementary and Middle schools had their father's last name as they didn't want the last name on their public schools. The school requires to use the legal last name from the kids' birth certifications. Hope anyone out there who can help me how to do solve it for the kids' sakes.