A message of hope to (usually) Dads
Without sharing personal details, having no choice in the matter (Court being so one sided etc) I haven’t seen my children from my first marriage for 22 years. Not one day has gone by without me thinking of them, and the struggle of (luckily) having a happy life with my now wife and two more kids, against the depression and guilt of not being around for them, and missing them terribly, has been so hard. My Dad was a Children's entertainer, and a lovely man, but died never seeing them again (No one considers the grandparents)
Unfortunately, there is a lot of this about, and some (usually) dad's lives have been ruined by it. They either turn to drink, or in some cases sadly commit suicide.
I waited until my children were adults, then wrote to them every so often ‘chipping away’ at changing their mindset about me. Finally, on Sunday 6th August, I met both my son and daughter in Bristol, and we had a wonderful re-union, which will now be built on.
This thread must not turn in to a 'women hating' exercise. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors, but my opinion is - No matter what mum and dad think of each other, it is so important for children to know that both parents love them, and for regular contact to be established.
My message to any (usually) dads out there going through this, is never give up hope. This nature thing is really powerful, so one day you will be reunited. When this happens, do not dwell on the past, what's done is done. It is much better to focus on the future, a strong close relationship will soon follow.
I am now waking up feeling so different about life, it's unbelievable.
I expect some of you can relate to this - Please share this message of hope to anyone you know who is going through a similar situation.
Len.