Deadbeat Dads

So I've been thinking a lot lately about deadbeat dads. How is it that they can just walk away from their own flesh and blood, their own child? Or deadbeat moms for that matter. I've known a few of them over the years as well....my trouble in particular is with my daughter's deadbeat dad. Now she is approaching her 18th birthday in August. This man, who only just met her a few years ago, by his own choice, is thousands and thousands of dollars in arrears with Friend of The Court. He quit a well-paying position at DTE years ago and started his own company doing seasonal cement work. This, too was by his own choice...and he told me very vehemently that his reason was to get out of paying child support. Whatever. I've raised my daughter fine on my own all these years. I think she is an amazing young woman and she makes me incredibly proud. He has lost out on her entire life so far, other than the handful of times that he has seen her. What made me think of all this was the fact that I checked my child support account yesterday to see if by some chance he had sent some in...not so...last time was over 4 months ago. And that's what started these random thoughts of the penis-wielding son-of-a-bitch. Last time Ashley saw him was New Year's Eve. He showed up at the party she went to with her two half sisters (who are amazing, by the way and not at all like their father...at least not that I can tell) and when Ashley came home this is what she said to me: "You know, I honestly would not care one bit if I never saw 'Chris' (her father) ever again...I don't think of him as my dad and I never will." And she told me how he tried to hug her, just like he did her sisters, who he has remained involved with for their whole lives...and she felt very uncomfortable. Well, why the hell not...I mean this is the guy who had never even acknowledged her for over 14 years. His family also turned their backs on us. Her grandparents, aunts and uncles...none of them cared to recognize that there was another family member in the next town over...and here we are, almost 18 years later...and he is multiple thousands of dollars in arrears in child support and has lost out on a lifetime of love, joy and pride by his own choice. I could never turn my back on my own child. Never. These are random unfinished thoughts and they are disturbing my pleasant ones so I'm going to stop for now...

Love,
Mommy