Dear father,

Before you choose to flee

and not be in your child’s life;

Think twice.

Think about the pain you would leave behind,

The void of paternal love you will create

And the burden of rearing the single mother would

have to endure.

Before exiling yourself from your child’s life;

Think about all the milestones you will miss,

The steps of adolescence missing every rung

And the growing pains experienced.

Before departing and splitting from your child’s life;

Think about denying your child a chance to grow in

a normal family,

Think about your child questioning why you never

loved them

Think about the questions that the poor woman

will have to answer about your departure.

Why would you want to put your child and

someone’s daughter through that mess?

Why would you want your child to be looking for

love elsewhere?

When you could be there to provide it?

Why would you?

And even if you go and come back,

don’t be surprised when your child wants nothing to

do with you or hates you.

And don’t assume the mother told lies about you.

The child would have seen.

Seen that you didn’t care and did not want to be in

their life.

You were the one who chose to cut the parental

umbilical cord.

Chose to just plant seeds and ignore their fruition.

That would all be on you.

And who would you blame then?