上位 200 件のコメント表示する 500

[–]suicidalfathersday 347ポイント348ポイント  (42子コメント)

When I was young I suffered a traumatic brain injury. Now in my 30's, I am suffering the aftershock of that event. I confuse easily, my memory is falling apart in little pieces. I have to ask people to repeat themselves often because their words make no sense to me the first and sometimes second time around. Like gibberish. Sleep disorders, depression (clinical severe), and I have close to no control over my emotions.

I wasn't always like this. I was a husband and a father to four kids. For 12 years I was married. One morning after a fight with my then wife, I attempted suicide. I was in a psych ward for around 8 days, and when I was released I was picked up by an advocate and driven to the airport to fly back to our home state to seek help with my mental health. Two months after arriving, I received divorce papers in the mail.

So...

I'm not a part of my children's lives because I'm becoming more and more unbalanced each passing year. I'm 33 years old. I am losing my memories, I have absolutely no control over my emotions. I understand why she did it. I don't want my kids to find their daddy dead because he committed suicide.

I guess it's not fair of me to want to be back in that life. All I ever wanted to be was a father and a husband. But because of my problems that wont go away, I was sent on a plane 3000 miles away from the only things I cared about. I know I'm a burden. I know that I'm getting worse. The thought never occurred to me that the mother of my children would throw me away. I wouldn't have done it to her. Not like this. I'm so sorry, to anyone who has to live without a dad. I want to be a father to my children but that was taken from me when I was thrown from a car and suffered a TBI. I don't get to have that life anymore because the woman I was with for 16 years decided I wasn't worth the trouble.

[–]rampaging_moon_buggy 51ポイント52ポイント  (0子コメント)

That is so sad. I wish I could just give you a hug and make things better. I hope things improve for you.

[–]GEN_CORNPONE 42ポイント43ポイント  (7子コメント)

I don't get to have that life anymore because the woman I was with for 16 years decided I wasn't worth the trouble.

This made me cry. It doesn't count for much but I'm sorry and kinda' wish I could give you a hug right now.

[–]suicidalfathersday 25ポイント26ポイント  (6子コメント)

It's sad, I'm sorry. I don't like to complain about it, but as I was writing the emotions just took over. It's a difficult life to lead, which is why I can't blame her...

I'll take that hug...

[–]gilesroberts 58ポイント59ポイント  (6子コメント)

On your good days write your kids letters even if you don't post them. If you do post them take copies and have someone you trust review them. If you somehow get better and feel able to be part of their lives, or they grow up and are able to have contact with you in the state you're now in, they'll know that you loved them and didn't just walk out because you didn't care. That your breakup didn't have anything to do with not loving them. Just knowing that can be very important to kids, even when they're grown up and outwardly successful adults.

Don't be too hard on your ex wife. She isn't the 'romantic till death us do part help meet' your originally thought her to be. There is only so much that some people can cope with in a relationship. Quite a lot of women when push comes to shove are pragmatic survivors. It doesn't necessarily make them bad people.

Best of luck.

[–]suicidalfathersday 7ポイント8ポイント  (4子コメント)

I know my ex wife has a tough situation. As hurt as I am, I don't want her to regret what happened as I get worse. Still, she did walk away from me and I have every right to be upset.

[–]sewsnap 12ポイント13ポイント  (0子コメント)

Please write the letters. Your kids need to know what happened. They need to know you care about them.

[–]Comfortab1ynumb 359ポイント360ポイント  (28子コメント)

I was a young 20 year old virgin college student, she was 18 years old and bipolar. Just two months into our relationship she attempted suicide by OD'ing on her Xanax. I rushed her to the ER where she ended up in the psych ward. I continued to visit her for another few months because she was my first girlfriend, the first girl I had sex with, and I had codependency issues.

I had sex with her again when she got out of the psych ward and she ended up pregnant. I panicked and insisted on an abortion. Initially she agreed, but then changed her mind and got angry at me for suggesting it. I didn't know what to do and bought her an engagement ring because I thought it was the right thing to do. My parents convinced me that it was dumb to marry a girl I'd only known for 4 months just because of a baby, especially one with mental issues, so I backed out.

She ended up really hating me after that and when summer came, we both went home thousands of miles away from each other. I was ashamed, so I didn't tell anyone about the baby except my immediate family. It was easier to just pay the child support and pretend that nothing happened.

Eventually years passed by and with each year, it felt more and more awkward to try to make contact. I would occasionally cyber stalk the mother and I have found that she's recovered from her mental illness and become a great mom who met a great guy that she ended up marrying.

It's now 15 years later and my daughter is thriving judging by Facebook pictures. I wouldn't mind if she wanted to reach out to me, but at this point, I would just be intruding on their happy lives to reach out to them.

[–]faithacid [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

As someone who met his father at 18, I have to say, you shouldn't leave it up to the child to reach out. That's the adult's job. As far as the child is concerned, you're too busy to be bothered. That's what you've illustrated for 15 years.

Meeting your child is not intruding and a reasonable child will always be willing and looking forward to meet their absent parent, so long as the effort to show is there and it's not a seasonal or "well, glad that's done" sort of thing.

[–]Geekmonster 36ポイント37ポイント  (0子コメント)

It would be understandable if you did intrude. My dad met his dad after 50 years. They, and my aunts, enjoyed a drink together. We visited lots of times afterwards until he died. No hard feelings. Answered lots of questions. We all got a bit of closure and we all shared the regret of the lost years.

[–]cxaro 26ポイント27ポイント  (0子コメント)

I am the wife of a wonderful man who suffers from bipolar Disorder.

You do not "recover" from bipolar disorder.

You can get it under control with proper treatment - medications every day (in most cases quite a few medications every day), regular visits to a psychiatrist and a counselor, and effective mental tools to help you deal with it. You can get to the point where you recognise when your brain is lying to you and can tell it the truth instead, where you once again are given the ability to fight through it and force yourself to make better decisions. But you do not just "get over" a mental illness like that. It's less like the flu, more like diabetes. You can find the treatment and lifestyle regimens that will combine to allow you to live a happy, healthy, normal life, but it will always be there.

[–]mazhas 37ポイント38ポイント  (6子コメント)

Eh, fuck it. No throwaway.

I was 20 when my daughter was born. Living about 4 1/2 hours away from home, friends, family, and everything familiar. Never wanted to be a Dad thanks to a pretty crummy upbringing. When things took a turn for the worse in the relationship, I bailed. I knew I couldn't survive up there on my own. Young, immature, crappy job, etc. So I left during a heated argument in the middle of the night.

I kinda just...escaped. I pushed her out of my mind and did things of my own accord. Paid child support when I could, birthday presents, maybe a phone call every once in a while. There was no father/daughter relationship. When you're several states away and never see her, it's a lot easier to pretend she didn't exist. Having no connection, it wasn't the hardest thing to do. I lived my own life with not much thought about her. This went on for a few years. I made a move to the west coast and during a trip back home in the east, I took a visit to see her.

I remember crashing on my ex's couch and being awoken by a tiny person (she was 4 at this point). Me and her mother both agreed that I don't bring up who I am or try to play dad. Just spend the day with her and enjoy ourselves. It was incredibly awkward for me at first. But, slowly, things fell into places. Watching her stumble in winter boots, listen to her relay stories, experiment with new food (lemon poppyseed muffin), dance while we wait for the bus. Thanks to an odd encounter with an employee at an American Eagle, she called me "dad." Surreal moment where I locked eyes with her, then her mom. It felt warm and beautiful and loving. We both ignored the comment but everything inside of me was raging with emotion. We spent the remainder of the day goofing around and assembling a bed. After we put her to said bed, me and her mom talked for a few hours. It was an easy realization for me after everything that happened that day: I needed to be there.

I'll skip most of the details, but the visit happened in October 2010, I made plans to live there by 2012. I moved back home from Cali, worked several jobs, saved, planned everything meticulously so I wouldn't be forced back. In December 2011, I made the move up north. Our relationship was essentially friendship for a few months. She didn't have a father figure in her life and I wasn't about to drop a "HEY SURPRISE, I'M THE DAD YOU'VE BEEN MISSING." In the beginning it was her coming over for a Friday night sleepover or random park trips. Figuring out everything and how to be a Dad. It was intense and the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Still learning, as I think every dad never stops figuring things out. I eventually told her who I was and it wasn't this big emotional moment, I was just her dad and she was happy to finally have one around. She doesn't realize I was missing for most of her childhood and it's a conversation I'm not looking forward to having. I'll be honest and upfront, hopefully by then she'll understand how much I regret it. If not, then I'll work on patching everything up. Won't quit this time around. Our relationship is perfect now. I have partial custody, she stays with me half of the week, we have paint fights and bake cakes, play flashlight tag in cemetaries, etc. My life is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I can't hate on the 'deadbeat dad' thing because I was one. I totally understand the mentality of not giving a fuck about your kid since I was a guy who had that going for him. I want to say it was immaturity and fear of fatherhood that held me back, but who knows. I'm sure it's different for everyone.

[–]tfihoj 2938ポイント2939ポイント  (464子コメント)

I came back from a tour to find out my wife was pregnant. I was 99% sure it wasn't mine because things were rocky for months before I deployed (dead bedroom). I straight up asked her about it. She started off being defensive and accusatory but eventually she told me that ok, she had been sleeping with a "friend" of mine while I was gone with the intent of getting pregnant. I asked for a test and she laughed at me which was enough proof for me. I filed for divorce and she delayed. She also let her friends and family in on it but said I was leaving her because I didn't want to raise my child. It got to my family as well and despite explaining the situation they said they would disown me if I left her. They even tried using the PTSD talk that was in the news about military in general against me, as if my background meant I was "touched" and should just accept being trapped by someone I used to love. I was stressed but I am not an idiot.

Not long after I just grabbed what I could as fast as I could and left. If I ever go back I'll face criminal charges because I am being held legally responsible for a life that can not possibly belong to me. There is still no test and at this point I would not be surprised if one had been produced and tampered to empower the lie. I am thinking it will catch up to me one day, but until then I am living relatively OK elsewhere. It is not right, what she did, and I refuse to kneel. I would sooner die or have my legs broken to force surrender than willingly support a woman who attempted to get me to raise a kid that was a result of her own bullshit. She may get me eventually, but by then it'll be too late. She is not getting the payout she planned on, instead she is raising a kid alone (though I left her with a nice sob story obviously) and if/when the sword finally comes down it'll just be so she can feel like she finally "got" me. She pointlessly ruined both our lives with this crap (I would've given her a kid on return, I just didn't want to impregnate her and then die and leave my unborn child fatherless) and I am never going to forgive her for that.

[–]nowmakeyourthrowaway 155ポイント156ポイント  (22子コメント)

I had a coworker many years ago who faced a similar situation. He hired a "private investigator" to "obtain" DNA from the child in order to have a test done. It was like something out of a movie. Turned out he wasn't the father, and the mother of the child totally caved in and confessed when he told her.

[–]kewriosity 98ポイント99ポイント  (15子コメント)

That sounds really creepy but I'm just imagining a guy hiding in a pot plant disguise trying to pluck some poor kids hair.

I'm sure the actual procurement was more orthodox.

[–]Steavee 412ポイント413ポイント  (6子コメント)

Hey, serious reply incoming:

Don't just run from this! There are some states where if you were married and no paternity test is done within a certain amount of time, you will be unable to re-open the child support case. Meaning that even with a paternity test in-hand that proves you are not the father you will still have to pay for all 18 years.

I'm begging you, please go speak with an attorney in your area, there are clinics, just something. You may be running out of time very quickly.

[–]bl1nds1ght 58ポイント59ポイント  (2子コメント)

Yeah, he made a huge mistake in not getting her a court-ordered paternity test and just leaving. Courts never, ever look favorably on one parent basically fleeing the situation *before the facts are established.

/edit: A word.

[–]Mister_E_Phister 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

IIRC, CA is like this and there is only a two year window from birth to contest paternity. OP is fucking himself hard.

[–]EM12 1252ポイント1253ポイント  (278子コメント)

Damn. Keep running man don't let that shit catch up to you. Fuck everyone else

[–]psychocopter 528ポイント529ポイント  (275子コメント)

Cant you argue in court and get the child tested to see if you are actually related so even if they do catch up you can do something about it right?

[–]chrisjuan69 454ポイント455ポイント  (216子コメント)

That depends on the state. It's rare, but some guys do get stuck paying child support on children they didn't father. When a woman is married and she gives birth, her husband is automatically written as the father on the birth certificate. I'm pretty sure most men can get off if they can prove that the child isn't theirs and the child's biological father is found and identified. It's actually more of a difficult process than you'd think.

Edit: In some states, when a woman is married and she gives birth her husband is automatically written as the father on the birth certificate.

[–]rosatter 216ポイント217ポイント  (16子コメント)

Shit in my state, even though I'm married when I had my baby they only seemed to talk to me about the baby and the forms. It was like my husband wasn't even there to them. When I asked if my husband could fill out the birth certificate, the one lady looked at me like I was asking to hook up a margarita drip to my baby.

It's so fucked up. Like, even though he's on the birth certificate and is the father (biologically and legally), they wouldn't discuss any medical shit about the baby with him without my consent until I had to call the patient advocacy lady but by that time, we were basically being discharged.

I understand child birth is difficult. I literally just went through it but don't treat my husband like this isn't a big deal for him, too and certainly don't treat him like he's nothing to the baby because he's his fucking FATHER. Agh. Pissed me off so much.

[–]chrisjuan69 26ポイント27ポイント  (4子コメント)

That's really fucked up. I don't remember any of that happening to me when my son was born. Of course my ex-wife had a c-section and was incredibly loaded on pain medication for the first couple of days.

[–]rosatter 20ポイント21ポイント  (3子コメント)

I had a csection, too but I refused any pain medication. I wanted to poop and get the fuck out of there and the pain medicines they give you constipated you.

Fuck. That.

[–]waterontheknee 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

I said the same thing to my wife after she gave birth. The father isn't indicated on any of the forms, it's like they expect the father to NOT be involved.

[–]Saliiim 721ポイント722ポイント  (147子コメント)

It's a shame that the system makes it hard. It should be a simple process...

"He owes me child care expenses"

"I'm not the father."

"Ok we'll run a test."

Guys have to deal with a lot of shit when it comes to children and the law.

[–]RANDOMjackassNAME 544ポイント545ポイント  (122子コメント)

Did you hear about the poor guy that donated semen to a lesbian couple and then got hit with child support? Fuck the system.

[–]chrisjuan69 567ポイント568ポイント  (91子コメント)

Did you hear about the 14 year old that knocked up a 20 year old and 10 years later found out about the kid and even though he was a victim of statutory rape was court ordered to pay child support?

[–]Lord_of_the_Dance 185ポイント186ポイント  (40子コメント)

What the fuuuuck

[–]v1LLy 119ポイント120ポイント  (25子コメント)

He was a boy, and the woman was 20, so he musta liked it, and women can't be pedos.

[–]Saliiim 38ポイント39ポイント  (19子コメント)

I did not... Did he donate the semen through the system?

[–]carlitabear 90ポイント91ポイント  (11子コメント)

No. It was a CL deal. He gave them a cup of sperm, they created a document that wasn't legally binding, signed it, paid him, and that was that.

The lesbian couple split, the bio mother was disabled and couldn't work, so she asked for government support to help w/ the child. In order to get gov support, you first have to go after the bio dad and try to get child support.

Since these three dumbasses didn't go through with it in a more legitimate fashion, the bio father was still legally liable for the child.

[–]phobos55 16ポイント17ポイント  (6子コメント)

It's not like it was done out of sheer stupidity. Getting sperm from a legal route costs thousands of dollars.

[–]anyadualla 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

Part of it is also to protect the father and child. Oh you've raised this kid since they were born and are now 8, wife wants a divorce, is spiteful, gets a DNA test proving you aren't the biological father and you can no longer see your kid for the next 8 or so years.

Sucks when someone who has never had any involvement is on the book for a child that isn't theirs though.

[–]notwhoithink 27ポイント28ポイント  (3子コメント)

When a woman is married and she gives birth, her husband is automatically written as the father on the birth certificate.

It depends on the state that you live in. In Ohio, despite being married, my wife still had to specify my name as the father of her children. Although in Ohio IIRC you cannot actually divorce a woman who is pregnant, so...yeah.

[–]DogsAreYourFriends 65ポイント66ポイント  (20子コメント)

In Kansas it is enshrined in the law that if you are a married man at the time of birth, you are on the hook for child support unless the real father voluntarily accepts responsibility. No test matters.

[–]chrisjuan69 52ポイント53ポイント  (11子コメント)

So even if they know you're not the father and they know he is, unless he says he wants to actually be a father you're legally bound to the child?

[–]whyworrynow 38ポイント39ポイント  (3子コメント)

It's not difficult at all if you get a paternity test at the outset. The guys who don't find out until several years later are generally the ones who are stuck as the legal parent despite not actually being the genetic father.

[–]shaneo632 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

Fuck man this makes me so mad.

[–]ajw9494 56ポイント57ポイント  (6子コメント)

Yes it is actually your legal right to have a paternity test if any child support claims should come your way. The mother is obligated to allow the tests to happen.

Source: Unfortunately have had to deal with a similar situation.

[–]whyworrynow 143ポイント144ポイント  (7子コメント)

Yes, actually, he could have dealt with this quite effectively by filing a paternity suit. The court wouldn't allow her to simply refuse. He could have filed along with the divorce action.

Assuming the story actually happened, this guy handled this in pretty much the worst possible way.

[–]Fivefooteightgiant 32ポイント33ポイント  (32子コメント)

It depends. Under some circumstances, the court can rule it's your child regardless of actual biological make up. The family courts are incredibly fucked because they still have rules set to 30-50s America.

[–]Fuh_King 338ポイント339ポイント  (1子コメント)

Holy shit man.

I am so fucking sorry man.

You did not deserve that at all.

[–]Aarondhp24 199ポイント200ポイント  (33子コメント)

If she ever comes after you, you can request the test my friend. I don't know why you think she can tamper with such things. Life isn't a big conspiracy like that.

I'd urge you to stop running and take her to court. Get it proven the child isn't yours, and then move on with a clear past.

There is no good reason not to. Only excuses. Best wishes man.

[–]RecallRethuglicans 95ポイント96ポイント  (12子コメント)

Nope. There's a statute of limitations. Judges won't care to find out who's the real father when you bail like that.

[–]6aff 93ポイント94ポイント  (5子コメント)

You see your story makes no sense to me. If you demanded a paternity test and told people you hadn't slept with her and will accept responsibility if a paternity test proves it's your child then you wouldn't have had to cut off everyone. Who the fuck does a runner instead of waiting for a paternity test when the kid is born? Hell it's not like she can deny you a swab of the kids mouth since she is claiming you are the father.

[–]Kingfield 9ポイント10ポイント  (1子コメント)

Yep definitely makes no sense to me either. How the fuck do his parents not believe him either? Something isn't adding up here.

[–]seldor 7ポイント8ポイント  (3子コメント)

Before being liable for anything, you are totally within your rights to get a paternity test. Please speak with a lawyer.

[–]spooledtt 17ポイント18ポイント  (0子コメント)

idk if this is possible or if it works like this but you should lawyer up and get a test done. cover your bases ahead of time in case she tries any funny business

[–]PopTartBoy 114ポイント115ポイント  (13子コメント)

She's a bitch. Your family was being a bitch. The legal systems a bitch. Everyone is a bitch accept you man, im upset reading this >:/ Sorry that happened to you gl hope everything is going alright now.

[–]Flight714 21ポイント22ポイント  (4子コメント)

The question you're answering is:

Fathers who abandoned your someone else's family, why'd you do it?

I mean, I'm just as responsible as you are: She might just as well be blaming me.

[–]cole91v 3975ポイント3976ポイント x11 (848子コメント)

I am a father of two beautiful twin girls. Read my personal experience, and you will see why it is common.

I am not going to sugar coat this. And what you will read will be no exaggeration. These are simply facts from my life. I am not leaving out some detail that somehow excuses the mother for her actions.

I got my ex girlfriend pregnant. It was a long distance relationship. She is a RN, and works in a labor and delivery unit, and used to educate women on proper birth control usage. I am a respiratory therapist, and worked in the NICU at the same hospital. I took a contract at a hospital in another state, but we actually became more serious during the long distance part of the relationship.

She stopped taking her birth control, and didn't tell me. This is why I have fraternal twins. Because she was hyper ovulating when we had sex. I was not informed at all. I had been seeing her for over a year, and we had a great deal of trust for each other. I trusted her with the protected sex portion of our relationship, rightfully so since she was an expert and took her oral med at the same time every day since I knew her.

As soon as she got pregnant, she informed me of three things. First she told me she was pregnant. I asked about the birth control, she told me she had stopped taking it. Her excuse was "I was gonna switch to another kind and didn't think it was a big deal". This coming from an RN working in a women's center and who educated women on the pitfalls of birth control. After telling me she was pregnant, she told me she didn't want to be with me. Then she told me to not worry, her mom and dad will take care of everything, that I should just go away. She told me " I will never come after you for child support". I was confused. I was in love with her, and thought she was as well, she had told me a million times. I was begging her to not throw me away. I asked her to marry me. I was literally laughed at. Mind you, I am 6'4, 245 pds, good looking with a great career. I have been lifting weights for over 13 years. I am not pond scum. I was so confused that I rationalized all this as her being in shock. I figured in a month or so she would come around.

My reaction was very simple. I was going to be the man my mother raised. Within one month I quite my contract, paid back the bonus, got a new place to live back in her hometown, and a new job at a new hospital. That is not easy. I sent her flowers, and gifts. I begged her to be with me. After about 6 months into the pregnancy it became clear, she had an agenda. She had her mother move in with her. She had her father(her parents are divorced) running all her errands and doing everything for her. I was totally heart broken, and scared out of my mind. She made it very clear she wanted me completely out of the picture. And she passively did things, and said things that sent shivers down my spine.

I had no say in what their names are. And I was the last person she had contacted when they where born. I begged to be there for their first breath, and to cut their cords. I was so excited to be a father, despite it not being with her and a family unit. When they where born, she barely let me see them at the hospital when they where in a NICU for a week. People both of us worked with where embarrassed for me. Some people couldn't look at me because they felt so bad for me. The nurses and Doctors knew me, and where heart broken telling me I can't come in to see them because mom said no.

Now, she kept me off the birth certificate for a reason. It keeps me from having any rights at all. And she gets to make the decision. A woman has this power outside marriage. And it is a tactic recommended by shady lawyers to set up a mom to take complete advantage of the father and destroy him. Without my name on the BC, it would buy her almost over a year of time to avoid custody decisions by a judge. To give you some perspective, after a year and a half in court the only thing ironed out is child support. I still don't have respective court orders for visitation, and definitely not custody.

Now before your minds run crazy with what ifs, I am a licensed professional in two states. Have no arrest record. Served in the military. There is absolutely no reason to keep me off the birth certificate. I even called the hospital, and talked to a social worker to get my name on it. And I was told, it is up to the mom.

Now, at this point baby momma is pissed that I didn't go away. This is not what was in her plans. So, she stepped her game up. When I would visit them as babies, I would go every other day for hours, or as long as I was allowed to see them. I would literally sit there and hold my daughters while her, her mom, her brother, and her father would mock me. They would laugh at me. They would poke fun at any little thing I did, demeaning me and belittling me. I was called horrible names, to the point I started recording my visits. When they found out, they would make faces, and stand 2 inches away from me. They would literally take turns sitting right across from me staring at me. I had gotten a lawyer, and was waiting for court to hear my case. I wanted to establish visitation, child support, and custody. Until the courts heard my case, I had to abide by her decisions.

To make this story as short as possible, I will sum things up as much as possible. It wasn't enough that I was a veteran of the US Army, It wasn't enough that I took care of babies in a neonatal intensive care unit, and it wasn't enough that I was a stand up citizen in society with nothing on my record besides a speeding ticket. I had to go to two months of classes, in a room full of moms with ankle bracelets on. I had to go to a seminar. And I had to pay a lot of money. This was all just so the court could see me as remotely fit to be a father. It was the most humiliating experience up till that point. To be considered as much of a burden as drug dealers and hookers.

Now, my daughters are 17 months old. I bought a crib when they where born, that I have never used. My child support was assessed off pay checks that had 30 extra hours of overtime, so I was paying over a grand a month in CS. I was going broke, and had a lawyer to pay. She has broken three court orders, and has never been held in contempt of court. My lawyer, who is a woman, explained that they don't like doing that to mothers because it could backlash onto the kids. She also explained to me a whole myriad of tricks that Lawyers pull when representing mothers. A lot of family law lawyers don't like to represent fathers because it is so depressing and such a losing battle. Representing moms is big business though and easy.

She took me to court over my dogs. One of them is a pitbull. It was a service dog at one time, that was used to help kids, and elderly in California. My pitbull was also used in a club that rescued other pitbulls to help socialize them, because she was so calm and even tempered. I had all of this proof presented to the Judge, including video's of my pitbull around a group of kids at a park. Baby Momma wanted the dog completely off the property for me to see them in my home. And she got it. Despite the fact I have a detached garage with a kennel, a huge back yard, and am a responsible pet owner with all kinds of vet records. The judge ruled in her favor. So now, I have to find a babysitter for my dog, to have my kids at my house.

I have had holidays canceled. I went to the sheriffs department last Thanksgiving with a court order for my 4 hour visit to be up held. The Sheriffs department tried to get her to comply, but she wouldn't. Even with a sheriff at her house, telling her to follow the court order. She refused. He did nothing, because who is gonna arrest a mother that provides milk for her kids right? I was denied my new years day visit. She wouldn't let me have both at the same time until this January. Only after her second lawyer(fired her first lawyer because she told her she needs to follow court orders) recommended doing so to show the Judge she was "Child focused co parenting".

When I pick up my daughters, they reach out for me. Happy to see me. She will jerk them away, turn them, and hug and squeeze them. She will not hand them over until they are crying. Every time I pick up my girls for visitation, my heart breaks watching this routine. She and her mother are trying to train them to see me and be confused, or scared. They don't like the fact that my daughters are happy to see me.

In 2014, I paid 12k in CS. Not including hospital fees. I paid 8k in court and lawyer fees. When she started receiving CS, she went out and bought a brand new 2015 Toyota 4runner. 4 months later, she bought a 185k house 30 minutes away from me. Now, my 4 hour visits are just 3, due to driving time. Having a baby with a man that makes 50k a year is a big payday.

Right now, I am working two full time jobs. I work 72 hours a week, 12 hour shifts 5 days a week. I spend average 10 hours a week with my girls.

On average, men in my situation will see the court room 50 times before my kids are 18 years old. I am going to spend enough money to put them both through a very nice college.

The amount of power mothers have over fathers is simply disgusting. It is a horror show.

I have no future. No woman would ever date me, or consider me as potential to be a husband. For many reasons that are obvious, but also because all women know how much power mothers have, and that they don't want to be dragged into court along with me. No woman in her right mind would consider a single father that is fighting to see his kids. Her is a video of me and my daughters about a week ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0-npdPILQ

I love them. I have almost lost my mind, soul, and dignity.

[–]zmerilla 2169ポイント2170ポイント  (81子コメント)

I will say this. You're wrong about having no future and not finding a woman. You're a man in the highest regards. They don't make them like you anymore. Continue to fight your fight because one day, you're going to have 3 women of the highest regard there to love you. It seems grim now, but the mother of your daughters can only keep it up for so long. One day your daughters are going to need their Dad and you'll be there to rescue them. I have hope for you and your daughters Cole. Your family is in my prayers buddy.

[–]phemm22 506ポイント507ポイント  (5子コメント)

100 times this. You have more claim to being a man than most everyone. My heart goes out to you and I wish you the best

[–]PoliteMeow 211ポイント212ポイント  (49子コメント)

This right here. My step son's mother sounds nearly identical to this monster. I've seen her tell my stepson that my husband isn't his daddy anymore, that her boyfriend is (mind you - she's been through 3-6 bfs). The poor kid constantly hears garbage about how much his father doesn't like him and is filth despite him calling three times a week and being ignored or told to leave her alone.

I have been around since my stepson was two, he's six now. The mother doesn't allow my stepson to visit us or call despite our constant requests. She refuses to do legal child support channels and opts for a check every month (I have every check listed as child support and the corresponding month) -- something I know will come back to haunt us. She's made it a point to degrade my husband and act as if he is unfit to be a parent with her constant antics. We are waiting till I've finished my PhD to fight the custody battle - one we know we won't win despite her mental illnesses (legitimate illnesses that she refuses to medicate).

My husband would give his life to make his little boy happy. And you certainly can't expect that every woman wants to sign up to watch that struggle. But someone will. Someone will see the value of you, your little girls, and the struggle that you're face and they'll want to be supportive even though it's a constant battle. I hate seeing my husband ripped down by this woman but I know that I played a pivotal role in helping him be more resilient. She used to manipulate him by using her anger to get things and to trick him into feeling guilty about something that he didn't even do. Now he knows how to step away and assess what's being said instead of letting her trigger his emotions immediately. It isn't easy to watch and know that my husband will be put through the ringer over-and-over-and-over only to lose to a sociopath that uses her child as a weapon. But I still chose to be part of the "losing team". I watched my dad have this fight for 18 years with my brother. And even with his mom's best efforts he's closer to my dad now. It's a battle the whole way and unfortunately she's probably always going to win. But when they're older, they get to discover who you really are. Likewise, they get to see who she really is and they get the opportunity to make their own decisions. Someone will want to go along for that ride with you.

[–]brimmingPurple 125ポイント126ポイント  (43子コメント)

I really don't understand how, or why, a mother would turn away a loving father that just wants to be there for his children. How did the legal system get that biased?

[–]SwinginCrabWhacka 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

Some people are really manipulative and sick. It's all about power. Unfortunately a lot of manipulative people who do this have no clue how much it will screw with the kids as they get older. They just think about their own feelings.

[–]rareas 44ポイント45ポイント  (0子コメント)

Document literally everything this woman says and does. Date it. Get witnesses. It might tip the balance. Or, it gives you a better chance than if you only have hearsay.

[–]ediba 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

Idk dude I wouldn't jump to conclusions without looking at his post history first. Seems like a bullshitter to me

http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/39wvxu/parents_charged_with_neglect_after_11yearold/cs7szu6

[–]Illicit_Frolicking 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah, definitely wrong. My dad was in a similar position with his first two daughters, but my mother still married him and had me and my brothers. There were lean times, but they made it work.

[–]fourtequilatwo 264ポイント265ポイント  (4子コメント)

Don't give up! My dad went through a similar situation. My mom put him through so much hell he suffered from PTSD. But through it all he fought to see us as much as possible. He would fly from Toronto to Halifax and then drive all the way to Cape Breton just to have my mom refuse to let him see us even for an afternoon. As a teenager I started to suffer from my mom's psychological abuse as well and I had my Dad to turn to. His never wavering love and support saved my life. He is now my best friend and the most important person in my life.

You daughters will need you! Especially if their mother is so manipulative!

And don't worry you'll find a woman who loves you! My dad certainly did! And my stepmom (who is also amazing), when I asked her what she loves the most about my Dad, replied with, "I love that he never gave up on you girls. Most men would have taken the easy way out and never looked back. But when he told me when he went through to see you guys I knew he was a keeper."

P.S and yeah the favouritism the courts have for mothers is appalling.

[–]soashamedrightnow 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

I hope OP reads this. It's exactly the kind of story he needs to read. Thank you for sharing. Hug your dad as tight as you can next time you see him. And if you want you can tell him a lady in louisiana thinks he's a bad ass dude.

[–]OKLakeGoer 225ポイント226ポイント  (40子コメント)

Keep at it. Hopefully the girls will see what was going on in the end.

[–]monkeymonkey12345678 186ポイント187ポイント  (38子コメント)

The chances aren't that good though, she has them nearly 24/7 to shit talk him and call him the devil.

[–]weasleman0267 264ポイント265ポイント  (13子コメント)

When my parents divorced I was 12 or 13, and I chose to live with my mother, worst decision of my life. After a year there I had had enough of her shit talking my dad and in general being crazy, after one night sitting at dinner I reached for another roll to eat and she hit my hand with a spoon and it rubbed me the wrong way. So I called my dad and let them (mom and dad) both know I wanted to live with dad starting the next weekend.

Dad had fought for us kids to have the choice of where to love after the divorce so there was no hoop jumping to make it happen.

My point is that my mom tried to make my dad look like a terrible person but I saw through her bullshit.

[–]NorthernUprising 159ポイント160ポイント  (6子コメント)

"The choice of where to love"

Probably a typo, but it makes that sentence so powerful that I choose to believe it is what you meant to write

[–]weasleman0267 36ポイント37ポイント  (5子コメント)

It was indeed a typo, but I think that I will leave it, because as you said it is very powerful

[–]di0tk 114ポイント115ポイント  (4子コメント)

The shit talk becomes boring after a while to the kids, the best part is when they start asking questions and realize what has been going on.

[–]CountryBoy06260 26ポイント27ポイント  (1子コメント)

Kids get smart as they get older. It may take some time but eventually they will put two and two together. It'll be confusing when every time they see dad he plays with them and tucks them in and reads to them and is just all around pleasant to be around. On the flip side they will have mom saying he's a monster but they will never see that side. Eventually they will just assume mom doesn't know what she's talking about and grow to resent her for constantly bashing the wonderful man they know.

[–]rampaging_moon_buggy 522ポイント523ポイント  (116子コメント)

Wow that is difficult reading. I'm not American, or even a man, but after reading that I'm at a loss as to why there isn't an uprising to demand fairer laws for father's. A friend of mine was left after giving birth to a son at 21. She never denied any visits or anything, and still doesn't to this day. A man who wants to be a good father is a precious thing. I hope things get better for you.

[–]Just_in78 83ポイント84ポイント  (3子コメント)

As with any problem, most don't care until/unless it personally affects them.

[–]TheWeastGerman 303ポイント304ポイント  (68子コメント)

In the U.S. men are just told to buck up and deal with it, women's feelings are considered to be more important than men's.

[–]samsaBEAR 114ポイント115ポイント  (19子コメント)

The misandrist feminists (definitely not saying every feminist is one!) scream for gender equality for women, but seem to ignore stuff like this when it happens to a guy. And while I don't agree with what all MRAs say, it's very apparent as to why they're so vocal.

[–]MisaMisa21 22ポイント23ポイント  (4子コメント)

I'm still confused. Why did she want to raise the twins by herself without you? There's something missing.

[–]NoPatNoDontSitonThat 9ポイント10ポイント  (1子コメント)

Unfortunately in stories like these, there is always another side to it. As much as I would like to just pour my heart out to the guy, I have to wonder what the mom would say and also what the court documents show.

Not to say that the guy hasn't been completely screwed over even with the extra details.

[–]Ammarzk 99ポイント100ポイント  (0子コメント)

You are a stronger man than I ever will be.

I am at a loss for words man, its disgusting everything that's happened to you.Keep fighting man keep fighting

[–]comfortable_madness 285ポイント286ポイント  (52子コメント)

As a woman myself, I am so sorry she is doing this to you. It really is disgusting how easy it is for mothers to manipulate and control fathers through the court. I just... My heart is breaking for you. Please know, not all women are like this. And you will find a woman who will stand by you through this. You'd be surprised how many of us out there would be willing to stand by a good man who treats us right, stand by him when he's being thoroughly screwed over by his ex.

What you are doing, fighting for your daughters, is an amazing thing. It's hard, but if you love them, don't give up. Just keep fighting for them and letting them know how much their dad loves them.

Have you considered maybe a different lawyer? It just seems to me she's getting away with an awful lot and while I know women have a bit if an easier time in custody cases, I've never heard of them continously getting away with defying court orders. That is unless she has friends in very high places, and if I ever found out that was the case, I'd be going to the state supreme court or the state attorney general.

[–]monkeymonkey12345678 196ポイント197ポイント  (38子コメント)

I am so sorry she is doing this to you.

It's the fucking courts that are the issue all equal before the law my fucking arse

[–]Sergeant_Scrumptious 44ポイント45ポイント  (0子コメント)

All I can say is, if you keep doing what you are doing, which it sounds like you will, your daughters will forever look up to you. Maybe not immediately. Hell, maybe for a few years they might hate you because that's what their mom will teach them, but they'll come round, they'll notice what you've done for them. They'll notice that you have tried so hard just for them. And they will be grateful. That is what you will get from this, your daughters eternal gratitude and love for you. You can do it. It's worth it. For them it is. I don't know who you are, but I love you for how good of a person you are. Cherish every good moment, and when your time comes know that what you went through was worth it, and die happy knowing you are a great father, which your daughters will recognize.

Good luck. Never give up.

[–]pinkmilkshake 87ポイント88ポイント  (6子コメント)

This thread totally isn't you! Its about fathers who abandoned not fathers that are fighting their asses off to love their kids! The girls are lucky to have such a dedicated father willing to go through all this for them

[–]DefectiveZombie 59ポイント60ポイント  (6子コメント)

Hell of a story to wake up to... You're a good man and you're trying to be a good father. The fact that such a thing is possible in our country is an affront to everything we stand for as a people.

You will find your way, I don't see you losing your dignity, your mind, or your soul. You are facing this with the kind of courage only a loving father has, you haven't and do not intend to ever give up. If anything that's something to be proud of, hold your head high and don't let that bitch win.

Your kids don't see it now, and they won't for a long time, but someday they'll see how hard you fought for them and they'll see what their mother did. Someday you'll be able to recount your story... And what a bittersweet day that will be for them.

This made me literally feel sick as I read it, then I watched the video and I love my fucking mind. I can't imagine and I don't want to. Anyone can clearly see your struggle... Have you tried reaching out for public support? There isn't much to be done but pressure from a lot of angry people tends to force people to give a little. I'd happily be one of those angry people for you.

[–]curtdammit 34ポイント35ポイント  (1子コメント)

The fact that such a thing is possible in our country

Not only that, it's how women like my mom go without having to get a job. It's a career for them.

[–]A-n-a-k-i-n 49ポイント50ポイント  (1子コメント)

That is just evil. I wish you get to spend more time with your girls, but what I really hope happens is your girls grow up, and see their mother for what she really is, and what she did to you. And never forgive her.

[–]corduroyblack 46ポイント47ポイント  (5子コメント)

Now, she kept me off the birth certificate for a reason. It keeps me from having any rights at all. And she gets to make the decision. A woman has this power outside marriage. And it is a tactic recommended by shady lawyers to set up a mom to take complete advantage of the father and destroy him. Without my name on the BC, it would buy her almost over a year of time to avoid custody decisions by a judge. To give you some perspective, after a year and a half in court the only thing ironed out is child support. I still don't have respective court orders for visitation, and definitely not custody.

Sorry. I'm a family law attorney. This is total bullshit and it makes this entire post look less-than-honest.

In every state that I know of, any possible father can start a paternity action, which is legally no different than the child-placement and custody portion of a divorce.

[–]weshouldlookcloser [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

This whole thing IS bullshit and reddit is eating it up. Read through his comment history. I posted this below but nobody will ever see it.

OK, Throwaway here because this guy seems unstable.

I would take this story with a grain of salt. I checked this guy comment history because this story seems like a MRA's wet dream of men done wrong by feminazi supporting PC society. and seems very biased. (' Mind you, I am 6'4, 245 pds, good looking with a great career. I have been lifting weights for over 13 years.' REALLY!? )

This guy at some point claimed he lives in belfast and and constantly insulted Americans as 'TV Americans' so he could have made this whole thing up where he is claiming he is American.

From his comment, he is also a

climate change denier who think climate science is being promoted by a business cabal

anti-vaxxer who think vaccination can cause you harm

anti-choicer who think all abortion is murder

thinks Christians are being oppressed by 'hipsters and liberals'

gun nut who think it's ok to shoot at cars and it doesn't mean you want to kill the person inside.

complain that NRL black atheletes are racist against white

general all around racist who think whites are being prosecuted

transphobic

Even if this entire story is true, there is every chance that it is told very biased and framed in a way that is very far from actual reality.

[–]Karmakam [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

I saw your comment history and you're part of /r/MGTOW which i didn't even know what that was but it sounds a lot like MRA and you're ultra conservative so your story is sounding way more one sided.

[–]the1bobcat 25ポイント26ポイント  (0子コメント)

You will be rewarded when your children get older and understand what you did for them. Your ordeal is not to far off from mine except I now have custody. (Mother attacked my oldest when she was 6) It was a long hard battle but worth it. Keep strong!

[–]ardi11 30ポイント31ポイント  (0子コメント)

I am so angry right now...Best of luck to you, it'll get better.

[–]Dessrend 611ポイント612ポイント  (78子コメント)

Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but...

I was 24. Lived in the dead part of Indiana, (which is the majority of the state) in a trailer that was falling apart. I couldn't repair it fast enough, nor could I afford to. Jobs were hard to get. Jobs that paid well, impossible. My girlfriend and I lived hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck. It was awful. I failed her, I failed myself, and I hated myself because of it.

Most days, I'd wake up about an hour before the alarm clock would go off. I'd stare at it. I'd hate it. I'd hate it's existence, and the way it mocked me. I'd think to myself, "If I died, right now, I wouldn't have to work today. I wouldn't have to worry anymore. I'd be able to sleep, and never worry. " And what's even sicker? Those thoughts actually brought me happiness. My stomach would get butterflies at the thought of dying. I didn't care if things improved; that concept was long gone. I just wanted out.

Then one day, she tells me she's pregnant. We took precautions, yet here it was. Another person to fail. Another person to disappoint. A mouth to feed, when I myself weighed about 105 at 5'8.

I cried a lot. I was a bitch, yeah. I'm a coward too, and if there's a hell, I'll surely burn there. I couldn't bring a life into a world that I myself didn't want to live in. To have to deny even the most basic of things...as of writing this, I don't regret it. Things haven't improved, and there isn't any sign of it happening anytime soon. I think about it a lot, and one of the biggest things I learned from it, is that I could actually hate myself more than I already did. Well, that's it.

[–]po0pdawg 83ポイント84ポイント  (30子コメント)

So, what's the situation now?

[–]Dessrend 346ポイント347ポイント  (29子コメント)

Now? I got let go from the factory, where I was making roughly 9.50/h, and took a guard position at a chemical plant where I'm making 8.25/h. Same place, only with extensive water damage. Same girl, with added resentment. Honestly, things just slowly got worse.

I bought a fish from a walmart the other day though. I saw it just sitting in this little plastic cup, and I don't know why, but it made me feel...empathetic? I'm not sure if it's the right word. Instead of the alarm clock, I watch him now.

[–]Lady_Ash 105ポイント106ポイント  (13子コメント)

What you did was show the kind of responsible decision that you had to make. That level of selflessness, will pay dividends further down the line. You identify with your situation, you are working, you want better, and providing you keep going with those positive vibes, you will succeed to a better place. You did not fail anyone, nor are you failing, you are just in a rough spot. Keep fighting, raise your head up, stand tall, and do what you must.

[–]Dessrend 71ポイント72ポイント  (9子コメント)

I appreciate that. That's the most support I've ever gotten on the subject. If I wasn't already emotionally dead at the time, my mother would have easily killed me off. I know she loved me, I think it's just her religious views that made her hate me/my decision. My dad was more open when I went to him for advice, giving me a stern "You do what you thinks best."

[–]RPofkins 77ポイント78ポイント  (5子コメント)

Sounds like your dad advised you to get the abortion in the language of someone who has to live with a religious person.

[–]Dessrend 22ポイント23ポイント  (4子コメント)

He is able to step back from a situation, and look at it logically. His advice has always been invaluable to me, but sometimes I think his views are a bit dated.

[–]Crushinated 15ポイント16ポイント  (0子コメント)

How old are you now?

[–]LiverpoolFC1 200ポイント201ポイント  (26子コメント)

So you made her get an abortion? If so, I think you made the right choice considering your situation. Still sad the here man.

[–]Dessrend 274ポイント275ポイント  (24子コメント)

I cringed when I read your reply. It stings, because I did. She didn't want to. This wasn't something I was hasty with. I tried to find a way. I reached out to family, tried talking with friends. Time was fickle. I didn't want to drag it out either.

I kept telling myself "At this stage, it's only cells." I didn't believe it, but thought if I kept telling myself that, I would. I couldn't convince myself though.

I don't demonize people for decisions like this, and I believe everyone should be able to make their own choices. I would, however, strongly suggest to NOT go the route of the abortion pill. It would be better to have it done all at once in the office.

[–]alianarchy 62ポイント63ポイント  (0子コメント)

Sometimes even the right decisions can feel horribly wrong. But life can be fucked up in that way. I truly hope you find some happiness through all this. Despite all the shit life throws at us we all deserve some peace.

[–]JamJarre 79ポイント80ポイント  (3子コメント)

You made the right call. It's irresponsible to bring a kid into the world if you can't support it, and especially when you're in such a low place yourself. Keep pushing, keep doing what you're doing. When things are better for you, you can always try again.

For what it's worth, having to make these hard decisions and choose responsibility even when it's difficult will make you an amazing father when you become one.

I don't think you're a coward at all. I think you're brave as shit.

[–]ASKREDDITTHROWAWAY06 329ポイント330ポイント  (58子コメント)

I feel that there is a slight possibility I have a 3 year old child. I had a one night stand over 4 years ago. Met her at a bar through a friend of a friend of a friend (we had/have no mutual friends). A couple months later, she's pregnant. We were using a condom but she told me to take it off b/c she was on the pill, so I did but I never climaxed so I feel like the chance she got pregnant that night is unlikely plus she also told me the child wasn't mine (b/c the conception date was a couple weeks different) after I inquired and then I lost contact with her but she has my name/info.

But I saw photos on FB a few months ago when she popped up as a suggested friend (b/c her number was still in my phone). I think the child looks a little like me but IDK if I'm just being paranoid or not.

What if the wrong guy is raising the child or else no man is and she just never told me? I don't know what would happen. I don't know if I could be in the kid's life...

[–]notwhoithink 205ポイント206ポイント  (10子コメント)

We were using a condom but she told me to take it off b/c she was on the pill, so I did

Rule #1: if she says that you don't need a condom, then you DEFINITELY need a condom.

[–]AfterTowns 162ポイント163ポイント  (24子コメント)

It's a definite possibility that the child is yours. You say that the conception date is a couple weeks off. Pregnancy is 40 weeks, and they start counting from the first day of the woman's last period. Women usually conceive about two weeks after that date. A bit of a weird way of measuring, but that's how it goes. If you know the child's birthday, count back 38-39 weeks and see if that date rings a bell. Babies are also (sometimes) born up to 2 weeks late or months early.

The best thing to do is talk to her.

[–]hollabaloonumber 14ポイント15ポイント  (4子コメント)

During ultra sounds they measure the fetus to get the exact age and date of gestation.

[–]theshizzler 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

They did that with my kid. But the 'since last period before implantation' was still used for whatever weeks they were tracking.

[–]deathbyacid 62ポイント63ポイント  (5子コメント)

Kinda did, kinda didn't. So heres mine. Started dating this girl in high school. Come Senior year, a little before we graduated, she cheated on me. Naturally we ended, finished up school and didn't have any plans on contacting her. Why bother, right? So, fast forward to August. She gets a hold of my new number, tells me she's pregnant. Not sure who the father is. Her parents are forcing her to drag me into it. They're calling me, she's calling me. It was hectic. No matter how many times I told them, there's a good possibility that the baby wasn't mine. Months go by, some nights she'd text me saying stuff about wanting to go jump of a bridge, or run away by herself. Then she wouldn't text back.

Here comes November, I started to date this wonderful girl. I was upfront with her about the situation I was in. My ex, stopped texting and calling. Things started to improve for me. January rolls around. Still remember the call. Just a hair past 3pm. Got a call from her mom. The baby was born this morning. Got up to the hospital, after looking at this little newborn, I realized there was a good chance of him being mine. I was a wreck. Didn't know what to do. So now, the roles were reversed. I started checking up on the baby. Every week, I called see how he was doing. March comes around, got a summons to show up at the Attorney Generals office. So I go, paternity test time. Cotton swab in the mouth a few times, pictures of me, pictures of the baby. That was that, we'd have the result in, in a few weeks.

Finally after agonizing over it, results are in. You're the father. I was mixed in emotions. I was happy to be a father, even for a guy barely 19. I can't really describe the other emotion. I guess terrified now since it was no longer speculation.

Well, we're back at the AGs office. Setting up child support/child custody. She was able to weasle in a modified visitation schedule. For 4 weeks, could only see him 2 hours every Thursday, then for the next 2 months, it would be every Thursday for 2, plus 12 hours every Saturday. Of course it was never that. Then it went to where I could have him 1 overnight every weekend. Then finally it went to a normal visitation, every weekend following the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Friday of the month.

Had a few issues during the early modified visits, one where she wouldn't give me my son for the 2 hours. She insisted on being right there. FInally, got the police involved like the paper work said. COps told us, that next time they get involved, they would issue ME a ticket. Didn't argue of course, just wanted to see my son.

So fast forward alittle bit, everythings goodish, had a few more issues regarding her not handing him over. All documented with police reports. Left my overnight job at Wal-Mart to work at a prison. Well, now my weekends to get him, I have to work. They won't switch my schedule. Can't afford to leave this job, as it pays over 16 an hour. We verbally agree to switch to the weekends I'm off. So, all is good. And then she stops. Won't let me pick him up on my off weekend. No leg to stand on. Can't go to court, as I don't have a lawyer. My schedule is stuck like that for a year.

After a year of that, I got a slight promotion. Went from working 12s, down to working Mon-Fri, same pay. Can't get in touch with her. I'm scared to. Had a 2nd kid through all of this, with my current girlfriend of 4 1/2 years. I'm still scared to call my ex up. I know she doesn't like me. And he's at that age where she can tell him any lie about me.

[–]Chloedancer123 21ポイント22ポイント  (0子コメント)

You should send a certified letter requesting visitation.

[–]SeaStar96 27ポイント28ポイント  (0子コメント)

You need to get in touch with a lawyer. Someone will do it for you for free because father's rights are starting to get more sympathy. You need to be established in the childs life.

[–]grand-fuffs 183ポイント184ポイント  (51子コメント)

TL;DR - Girlfriend steals $47,000 from me, I snap, eventually moving to a completely different continent.

I had been dating this girl for about 3 years when she got pregnant and had our son. Our relationship had its ups and downs, but was alright for the most part. I was playing poker semi-professionally at the time (still had a PT job) and I didn't have investments or savings - it was all in my 'poker bankroll'.

I had about $60k in cash in our apartment, which I kept in paper bags in a safe. I fucking kick myself every day that I didn't just put it in a bank, but I was worried about taxes. Every time I'd get to $10k in a bag, I'd put an elastic around it and I'd start a new one.

I had a horrid run of cards over the course of a few months, and when the money finally ran out I had to open up one of my sealed bags. To my complete shock, there was only like $4500 in it. I opened the others and they were all missing 70-90% of their contents. I was left with just over $13k when I should've had $60k.

My girlfriend was the ONLY one who knew about the safe. I have no idea how she got the combination. She confessed that she was stealing from me for over a year, taking "a few hundred here, a few hundred there". She took trips with her friends to the mountains, Mexico, & Vegas all on my dime.

What got me was her attitude. After 2 minutes of apologizing, she was done. Then it was "it's no big deal, you can always make more money" and "we're a commonlaw couple, we're supposed to share everything". When I kept pressing and pressing to find out where the fuck $47,000 went, she finally snapped and showed me her true colors. Textbook sociopath.

When she went to work the next day, I took our 1 year old to her parents, packed up my clothes and left. The apartment was in her name, I didn't care about the furnishings. I left her a note saying to fuck herself and to never contact me again. I moved across the country that following week to pursue poker fulltime in Las Vegas - unfortunately that didn't work out. I was playing with scared money, and any profits I made got wiped out by the high cost of living. After about half a year there, I took my remaining money to SE Asia, where my plan was to live a hedonist lifestyle til the money ran out / the bank wouldn't lend me any more credit. Then I'd kill myself.

I've been here in SE Asia ever since. My life back home is such a distant memory it doesn't even feel real any more. I'm 32 years old, I have like $4000 to my name, I make $500-800/mo from internet poker to pay my expenses. My life is a complete fucking trainwreck, and I'll be surprised if I make it to see my 35th birthday.

[–]Cato_Keto_Cigars 62ポイント63ポイント  (6子コメント)

At least SE Asia is beautiful. It may be worth looking into ESL to supplement income over there as well.

[–]ladygnome 12ポイント13ポイント  (0子コメント)

Maybe try working a job, as well as your online poker. Steady income is a good thing.

[–]londonladse 54ポイント55ポイント  (3子コメント)

Honest question. Do you not care that you left your child behind? I mean it wasn't your child that stole from you.

[–]hirjd 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

He probably wrote a song about it. Gamblin' man takes suitcase and trunk to the house of the rising sun.

[–]AustinRellim 8ポイント9ポイント  (1子コメント)

That's more money than most people have. You're doing fine man. Stick it out and find your happiness. I wish I had $4k to move away.

[–]throwmeaway0816 1075ポイント1076ポイント  (311子コメント)

Throwaway because, I mean, obviously...

I ditched my wife and two kids because I was forced into an arranged marriage that I hated from day one. Being Middle Eastern made it difficult for me to leave my wife before we had kids without my family turning their backs on me.

We had two kids, mostly because we were pressured by our families. I hated my wife; she hated me.

I wouldn't be surprised if she fucked someone else to have those kids. Wouldn't surprise me. I cheated on her regularly, including with her own cousin.

Her cousin told me (well before I had an affair with her) that my wife was cheating on me.

When our daughter was born, I became distant. My mom took care of the baby most often.

After "my" son was born, I filed for divorce. The wife wouldn't agree to it because shitty Middle Eastern culture makes divorcees look like scum. Instead, she took the two kids and moved back to England.

I remarried and now have two more kids. I haven't seen my first two kids in over 10 years. Last I heard, they're doing well in high school. I don't care. I don't even know them.

I've also been told my ex-wife is still single because our bullshit Middle Eastern culture makes divorced women look like undesirable whores.

I'm aware I sound like a piece of shit, but honestly, I'm a product of my environment. I'm tired of foreigners coming to America, having kids here and then expecting us to share the same mentality as them, even though we are Americans. All my friends are married to who they wanted to be married to. I was forced to marry some woman who I can't even 100% say wasn't cheating on me regularly.

My (proven) kids are 8 and 7. I'm with them all the time. I don't ever plan to ditch them. My wife is the love of my life. She was a good friend from middle school who I lost contact with but eventually reacquainted with via Facebook. We're happy. She's also a first generation Middle Eastern-American, so we both have a lot in common.

AMA if you'd like. If not, I don't mind. It just feels good to get this off my chest.

Edit: Added a detail.

[–]Spartanhero613 99ポイント100ポイント  (28子コメント)

It's bad when arranged marriage is acceptable but divorce isn't. Really terrible. If you're doing well, I'm glad.

[–]avysavy 716ポイント717ポイント  (65子コメント)

All due respect, I'm not sure why her cheating on you would've irked you so much, when you make it clear in a comment below that you were banging other women left and right... I'm sorry about the culture you grew up in and that you were forced to marry someone you didn't love, but I think it's a double standard to be pissed at her for possibly cheating and yet you brag about your cheating habits.

[–]throwmeaway0816 274ポイント275ポイント  (61子コメント)

I'm not mad that she cheated. I'm mad that I will never know if her kids are really mine.

I want to add that her cousin was the one who told me that she'd been fucking guys on the side. That's when I started cheating. I wouldn't have, otherwise.

I'll edit my original post. I feel like that's an important point to make.

[–]bendershead 189ポイント190ポイント  (25子コメント)

There is a test that would have determined whether they were really your kids.

[–]gymger 78ポイント79ポイント  (19子コメント)

Unless it's for legal or medical reasons, its probably not worth the effort. Not only would the kids have it shoved in their faces that the person known as their father detests them so much he wants scientific proof that they are not his just to tickle his fancy, but it's likely that the mother would fight against the tests (if the kids are minors), because if the tests showed that this man is not the father of her kids, she might be seen as a whore (even more so because she is separated/divorced).

[–]Unconfidence 81ポイント82ポイント  (8子コメント)

My father had me take a paternity test when I turned 18, because he'd never believed I was his. I was.

The only real grudge I hold against him for that was that he didn't do the test when I was an infant.

[–]Cato_Keto_Cigars 10ポイント11ポイント  (1子コメント)

What's the chance that the cousin was lying/crazy? Probably as high as your wife cheating. Then she comes out as wanting to bang you - that paints her as having alternative motives.

[–]avysavy 46ポイント47ポイント  (3子コメント)

Okay, that makes sense. Sorry, man.

[–]teemraye 112ポイント113ポイント  (19子コメント)

I want to add that her cousin was the one who told me that she'd been fucking guys on the side. That's when I started cheating. I wouldn't have, otherwise.

Since you ended up fucking her cousin, she likely would have told you anything to get in bed with you. Don't be stupid.

Muslim/arab culture is heavily biased against women and your post wreaks of double standards.

[–]Flembot4 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

But you were cheating with that cousin. Did you start with her after she told you your wife was cheating on you or before?

[–]wutwot 148ポイント149ポイント  (9子コメント)

I don't understand how you could get to the point of saying "you don't care" & "they're irrelevant" when talking about the kids from your first marriage. They're as much a product of their environment as you were. Like I get the attitude towards your ex wife but I don't understand the callousness for the kids if they didn't exist when the marriage was arranged or your first wife cheated.

You don't have to respond but I would very much like to understand if I'm reading you with the wrong tone or if there's a part of your story with the first kids that you didn't want to share that made the difference. Curiosity and all

[–]immamuffin 44ポイント45ポイント  (7子コメント)

Kudos to you for being honest when this thread seemed to have attracted the pseudo moral police of reddit. Not sure if you'll answer, but if you could go back in time and change the way you handled the situation with them in particular, would you? If so, how? Btw I know there's no point in rehashing the past or reliving, so just a hypothetical situation

[–]areyougamer 59ポイント60ポイント  (7子コメント)

"I don't care. I don't even know them." Do you wan't to know them? What do you do if they search you up in a few years time and wan't to meet you? Not trying to argue, but from my point of view they are your kids and you should have some kind of feelings/responsibility even if you hate the mom, you know what I mean. So would be interesting to hear your view on this subject.

[–]CRBrownBeast 21ポイント22ポイント  (2子コメント)

I ran before the baby was born.

I moved away from my home town and quit my job to move to a small town with my girlfriend. We decided I'd move there and get settled in with a house and all. After 2 months she told me she wasn't moving there because she didn't want to leave her family (which didn't even live close to her). We traveled to my home town together and I noticed she was texting an ex boyfriend. I read the texts and they basically talked about her leaving me and being with him. I confronted her about it and she said "He's crazy, if I don't agree with him, he'll threaten suicide".
During that trip, she told me she was pregnant, about a month along at that time. Only once in that months time, had we seen each other, so when I broke the news to my parents for help, they suggested a test. Before I could even ask for a test, she told me she was having an abortion, date set for October 8th 2013. At this point, I packed my stuff and moved back home. We ended the relationship that same day. Several months later, I received a letter from a lawyer stating that my child was being adopted by a family. She walked out of the clinic before the abortion and decided to let a couple that she's known for years adopt our baby.

My daughter was born March 31st, 2014. Just recently, me and my ex started talking again. It's a rocky road but I hope one day to meet my daughter. She lives near her friends that adopted our baby and sees her quite often.

[–]crazystoo 27ポイント28ポイント  (0子コメント)

I had a daughter, she is 8 now. Basically i tried to start a business to support my fiance and new family. Bad choice. Lots of stress, and drinking. Also bad choice. I put too much pressure on them. Picked up a night job to make ends meet. Came home to find wine glasses and someone else cigarettes beside our bed. It snowed towards morning, big footprints by my front door telling me there was a man who had left in the morning. It broke my heart and I sank into an extremely depressive insanity. This was the person i had wanted to marry. Essentially I moved out, and had to focus on putting my own life back together. I moved to a different town and by the time i was ready to be in contact with my daughter again, the ex was full of hatred. It made phone calls very difficult. It has been 6 years later now and I finally deleted her off of facebook, saying that if my daughter wants to contact me, she is welcome.

[–]suarkattack 29ポイント30ポイント  (4子コメント)

I was married for 7 years, enjoy 4 happy years and then something switched in my ex-wife. Even with several years of no physical interaction, constant mental abuse, I planned on sticking with my family.

However, my time was done in the military, and since I was stationed in her home country she already had a life there. I could not find suitable work so I couldn't stay. We discussed it and planned on having her move to America and she could go back home on vacation at any time.

I got to America, the economy sank. I couldn't find work. Couldn't afford the immigration process. Several years went by, and we just grew more and more distant. Then finally, received the divorce paperwork. Only hear from my daughter once a year. Usually on Father's day. But not this year.

[–]Not_A_Lumberjack 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

I apologize ahead of time if this not the right format. I am on my phone.

I would like to start this by saying I will not bend the truth and only state facts. Some of you may come to the realization that I am indeed a piece of shit. I will leave that to you.

I am a 26 year old male in the United States military. I have a daughter who turns 6 in August. I have seen her for a combined time of approximately 3 days and 5 hours. The 3 days are the first 3 days of her life. The 5 hours come from her 2nd birthday and a trip to mcdonalds.

I met my ex-wife when i was 19 and just graduated basic training. She was my bunkmates sister and he showed me some pictures of his family. I saw his sister and almost immediately knew i was going to have sex with her. I asked him if I could hang out with him and his family during graduation and he gave permission. So I went, chatted up his sister. She laughed at my stupid ass fucking jokes and we exchanged numbers. I was surprised she went for me concidering i had no hair and i was in god awful airforce blues.

Out of respect I asked him shortly after if I could keep talking to his sister. Which he replied no. I did it anyway. Fast forward and she visits me, I tell her all sorts of bullshit lies to get her to fall in love with me. Lies like I am a black belt, I kick ass on guitar (I only know a few cords). Yes I was a fucking stupid little shit.

Months past. We find out she is pregnant. All the sudden I am plunged into something that scared the shit out of me. We break the news to both our parents. My mom and dad are super pumped. Her mom is pissed and says we have to get married now. We do, but we were totally not ready for that.

She moves from the city to the middle of no where with me. Culture shocked, I am working 12 hour shifts 4 to 5 nights a week. She has no friends, I sleep all the time when I am not working. She is alone and pregnant, and I offer no help. I am so lazy from work that I never clean up after myself so she has to put up with it.About a week before my baby is born she asks me if she can move back to her hometown. Which I agree because I know she is miserable.

We get divorced, and because we both sucked with money we did it over the internet. Worst decision of my life. When it is final I end up with getting my child every father's day from 6am to 6pm. My birthday from 6am to 6pm. And every other christmas.

I lived 12 hours from her home town. I pay child support and never missed a payment. She get remarried. I hardly get to see my daughter because I am either deployed or cant get leave on those specific days. I want to hire a lawyer but their family is so perfect and happy now and I know that if I butt in I will ruin everything for my ex-wife. She doesn't deserve that after the shit I put her through.

The truly heart breaking thing for me is she is being raised to call her step father dad and to her I am just some stranger that took her to mcdonalds once that she calls Mr. Not_a_lumberjack. I try to ask if I can see her on other days but they are very few and far between. The worst part is the step dad is a great dad. Hell he is great person. I watch her life through facebook. Because I am too much of a coward to face my ex-wife and her family.

I can only hope she asks one day why her last name is different than the rest of her family. At least I have that going for me.

[–]chafedinksmut 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

I will repost here what I have posted before because it's SO relevant, even though it will get much more buried in this thread than the last:

My dreams, my desires, my wants, my needs, my personhood was not okay with her. If I didn't hand over every penny I made to her, or demand to have what I wanted to eat for once, or demanded to see a friend or engage in a hobby....domestic violence charge. I was a work mule for a bitchy, mean, selfish harpy who gave me not one moment's peace. My options were 1-Kill her. 2-Kill me. 3-Leave.

Well, I'm not in jail, and I'm not dead, and I've never killed anyone, so...you get the idea. I pulled on some of my technical know-how and contacts that I had, got some fake paper, disappeared into the world as someone else and never looked back. It's not hard to prove my technical and scientific competence to any would be employer so I have a good job, a cool set of new friends, and am about to marry (married since this was first posted) a sweet girl from a culture that doesn't teach their women that men are evil scumbag cheating rapists for the patriarchy. I have never been happier. Judge all you want, because this former sheep is now a lion, and does not concern himself with the opinions of the flock he left.

[–]thebellrang 4ポイント5ポイント  (3子コメント)

I'm reading sad stories about amazing men who were dragged through the mud by really manipulative baby momma's.

The abusive and/or alcoholic fathers of many of my friends haven't seen this askreddit, I guess.

[–]MrJongberg 21ポイント22ポイント  (4子コメント)

I was with crazy for about 2 month before it ended suddenly. Fast forward 6 months she tells me she is pregnant, and that it could be mine, i don't think too much about this because she was on the pill when we were together. But when the baby was born i decide to get the test done, just to prove that it isn't mine, as it turns out crazy wasn't on the pill, and i am now a 19 year old father. I decide to do the noble thing and make sure that my daughter knows she has a father, and makes sure to visit her often. But crazy is making it very difficult, suddenly disappearing and leaving me with a kid i hardly know, blaming me for almost everything, that she is stressed and losing weight because of this. But i fought through it, and i am glad i did, my daughter is a great kid and i love her. Crazy is still making my life a hell, but my daughter is worth it. But when i look back i wish i had never been with crazy. But what i am most ashamed of and hate myself for, is that i also wished that i never had taken the test, because sometimes crazy makes it so difficult to have a relationship with my daughter, that i often consider if it is worth it. I have come to the conclusion that i am doing it for her, not for me, i don't care about how i feel, as long as she knows she has a father who loves her, even if it is does destroy me in the end. I have considered leaving, many times, but it is this that makes me stay, because in the end it is all worth it, i hope.

Sorry for the long story, hope it makes people think again about leaving their children behind.

Tldr: Keep away from crazy

[–]Discard72 25ポイント26ポイント  (29子コメント)

Repost: I have a reasonably high profile career and I had a contentious divorce. Neither of us were perfect and we weren't suited for each other. Nonetheless, this is what I experienced. I was married for 4 years, divorced now for over 7 years. I had a prenuptial agreement with my former spouse. I came into the marriage with substantial assets and income, and she is/was a career woman as well. We had 2 sons born 2 years apart. I filed for divorce after spending over a year in marital counseling, etc. It wasn’t going to work, for many reasons and I knew it. I retained counsel and tried to engage in a civilized separation, divorce and shared custody arrangement. I purchased another home to live in within 5 miles of the home I owned and let her continue to reside in with our sons, as that home was purchased before our marriage and in my name only. I wanted to allow her to stay in my home and keep continuity for our sons.

Then, it started, within 60 days of my filing for formal separation and divorce: 1. False accusations of spousal abuse (my attorney warned it might happen and I had security cameras on the exterior of the property and added several to the interior common areas of the “family home” that I owned and continued to own). I was arrested no fewer than 4 times, with charges dismissed each time due my being in completely different locations (including out of state on 1 occasion), having the property cameras film her hitting my car repeatedly with a hammer, smashing my windows and trying to assault me when I returned our sons after a long weekend, etc. Suffice to say I never touched her but she was able to have me arrested on her word alone with no supportive evidence whatsoever. 2. Her vandalizing my new home repeatedly and trying to break in also caught on security cameras. She also vandalized my attorney’s home and office. 3. Her rummaging through my trash, also caught on security cameras. 4. Her refusing to turn over our sons on the scheduled times, repeatedly. 5. Her stalking a new girlfriend I had 1 year after I was divorced, harassing her at work and physically coming to her office, breaking into her home and leaving notes. 6. Her assaulting a process server in broad daylight with can of pepper spray and holding a 9MM to his head as he was on his knees. (the news coverage of her arrest on this was both entertaining and scary) 7. Her calling my offices and trying to ruin my business relationships. 8. Her harassing my extended family (brothers and parents) with letters, calls, etc. 9. Her not complying with the custody arrangements, ever. 10. My legal counsel required a Psychological evaluation of both of us to gain some footing. She lied to the psychologist, and we proved it and the report was very favorable to me and the judged ruled accordingly. 11. She left the state with our sons to “visit” friends in different states to avoid having to turn our sons over. 12. The judge gave me a child support order against her after he officially transferred custody over to me after 3 years of court battles. 13. She contested the Prenuptial Agreement, and lost. 14. She assaulted me and hired private detectives to harass me. She even claimed I left dead animals on the doorstep of the house she was living in (the house I OWNED). There were other occurrences, but you get the idea.

This went on for nearly 5 years and over $400,000.00 in legal fees and costs, just to me. Finally, the Family Law Court judge issued a Contempt of Court Order and Arrest Warrant with a $100,000.00 bail attached to it for transfer of custody. The problem was he never served it on the local police department. Thus, it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on and custody would never be transferred. I knew the next thing was she would accuse me of sexually abusing our sons or something equally heinous. I thought long about what to do over the next 2 months or so. At the next court appearance (I showed with my counsel and she didn’t show, but her attorney did) I requested my legal counsel arrange a meeting, in chambers, with the presiding judge. They made it happen. I told the judge I was done and was never coming back to family law court, ever again. It was a waste of time and the court never enforced it’s orders and never followed through. I realized it was because she was a woman, and a mother, and I was, effectively, a 2nd class citizen in their eyes and disposable. The judge asked me to continue working with the system. I asked him “why” when they would do nothing and I told him I'd never return. My attorney and I left. He agreed that I made the right decision I never went back. It broke my heart and I knew I knew I’d never see my sons again. I couldn’t go through that pain again and I couldn’t continue putting myself at risk to that woman or continue to allow her to create chaos in my son’s lives. Someone had to be an adult and walk away. That was me. My parents were heartbroken, but understood. Every birthday, holiday, important event pains me. I hide it well but know I will never be a father again. This was my experience with family law court. I saw many other men, some of whom were my friends go through situations where they were marginalized as their roles as a parent reduced to nothing more than a checking account. It’s sad but this story is repeated every day. Yes, mine is extreme. Ironically, I was in another city on business almost 1 1/2 years ago and guess who was “on my 6”, yes, my wonderful ex-wife whom I confronted in that city and told her to leave me alone or suffer the consequences. I filed a restraining order when I returned, that week. I had her evicted from the home I owned approximately a 2 ½ years ago. During the original divorce proceedings she agreed to pay a nominal sum in rent (I own it without encumbrance) to me if I allowed her to remain there, and I agreed. She didn’t pay a thin dime and trashed that house. It cost me well over $100,000.00 to get it into a condition to rent to a legitimate renter again. All this because she “loved me”.

I will never marry again. My girlfriend is a great lady and she’d love to get married but I’ve told her I’m not interested now, or ever. If she wants to leave, there’s the door. It’s pointless and I will never do it again. I will never see my sons again, and I don’t want to. They won’t be adults (18) for several years but their dear mother will have plenty of time to make me look like the fucking devil. She left messages on my phones by text and VM saying that I’d “be the daddy that never was”, and she succeeded. If, by chance, my sons do contact me I will tell them I can’t deal with it and to look for the answers they seek from their dear mother. I have nothing for them and don’t know them and they don’t know me, anymore. I’m not going down this road again. It’s far too painful. It nearly ruined my life and livelihood. I was lucky to have money and resources and realize the courts really don’t give a shit about the rights of fathers and men which is why I will never put myself in a position to be harmed again. More men should take care to protect themselves, require prenuptial agreements, have a viable exit strategy, etc. I’m not a big champion of “men’s rights” as each man must make his own choices, as I did. But marriage is a dangerous proposition for a man I wish I knew then what I know now.