It's not precisely the same situation, but Jim can relate a little. "I never knew my dad either. My actual dad, I mean." By now, he's started to get used to the idea that people here might not know that he's the famous Kelvin baby, or what happened to his father. Especially since he's not in uniform, nowhere close to being cleared to return to duty, which means he's not wearing the emblem of Starfleet anywhere.

"How many kids do you have?" he asks, figuring that's a safe enough question.