About five years ago I joined this group, right in the middle of the lockdowns.
On January 2nd I caught my son’s mother cheating. I didn’t swing a fist I just broke down, cried, and threw a childish tantrum.
She twisted the truth, got me locked up, and secured a restraining order that kept her and my son away from me.
Because of the lockdowns I couldn’t appeal for twenty long months.
For almost two years I didn’t see my son.
I was left penniless; she sold my tools and my vehicle, slept with one of my “friends,” and spread the worst lies about me to anyone who would listen.
I grew cold, but I never vanished. I realized I had to change my life.
For a year, until the lockdowns ended, I took menial jobs and crashed on my sister’s couch while we buried our mother, who suffered from dementia.
When the chance finally came, I started seeing my son again.
At first it was supervised visits with her new (also ex) husband. She used those visits to hurt me she even forced him to attend my niece’s birthday party just to embarrass me.
After a year I earned my first overnight visit. By then I was living alone in a beat‑up old trailer.
So what. It was progress…
Then I started a business because I couldn’t afford $1,200 a month in child support and needed to live on my own.
Fast forward to last September.
Karma showed its ugly face as she began to self‑destruct. One morning, after YEARS of fighting for every second I could see him (he now calls me Bobby, by the way), I got the call that changed everything…
Her drinking led to multilpe police calls. The final straw was when she assaulted her husband with a weapon and was thrown out of her own home.
It’s been a year since I’ve had him full‑time.
Because of all that bullshit I had to fight through, the transition was surprisingly easy.
When he was with her, he was diagnosed with developmental issues; in a year we’ve tackled them all.
He’s seven now, and he’s the beacon of hope that turned my life around.
Our shitty trailer is now pretty badass…
My business has grown so much that we just opened another location.
My son is happy and safe.
Bottom line… DON’T GIVE UP.
Yes, this was long AF, but damn if I wasn’t inspired.
Congrats. It’s guys like you who give me hope to crawl out of the darkness. 🍻
He calls me dad now, btw 👊
