Fulltime single father 3 1/2 years and counting of a beautiful 5yearold daughter

deuteronomy13

New member
This might be a long one i apologize in advance.. Not sure what this post is about. I guess just to share my crazy story idk. All I can say is I'm living one of the most difficult chapters of my life right now.
Few years back me and my ex BM was staying temporarily at my parents place they had a guest house in the back that was not being used at the time. We was struggling for some reason she refused to return to work once her maturity leave was up. I was the only one working so we headed to the guest house at my folks. The condition was a temporarily situation even though my folks owned the property I still kicked them down some money when I would get paid on top of saving up to get a house that was the plan.

However she refused to return to work 2 and a half years later. At the time I was working over nights repossessing vehicles and my commute to the repo lot to pick up the truck was 45 min to and hour one way. I was running 12+ hour shifts. Since I was the only one working I was running 6 nights a week. My employer didn't care as long as I recovered xamount of cars each week, they didn't care if it was 1 day or 7 as long as I brought in the required number of cars.
It was getting to much I would come home and the place would be more dirty than when I left. I'd make me something to eat clean up the place and wash cloths for work. Most of the time if I was lucky I would get about and hour of sleep IF I WAS LUCKY. She had no license so I had to play her Uber driver during the day when I should of been resting for work.

Eventually it all became too much I told her she needs to start pulling her own weight 30 days get a job and help or you gotta go if you don't wanna go then I'll leave and you can stay and pay my parents while u stay here. Everything was falling apart no matter how hard I tried to keep it together. After a while its like we weren't even a couple anymore. There was no more hugs and kiss when I leave for work or return. We wouldn't conversate nothing she was just there. Day 30 came and I told her she has to go. We got into an argument she started hitting me then got mad cuz i wasnt hitting her back she started to hit herself and the proceeded to call the cops and say I was beating her. The cops seen right through her BS. They took her to community brooks for a 24hr psychological evaluation.

She did not return for 2 weeks. I come home from work one day and the place was trashed a mess she had used her key to come in and supposedly get her stuff. At the time it looked like she was looking for something eventually later on I found out she took the 4,500 I had stashed that was supposed to go towards getting a house. The baby's birth certificate social and immunization records.

I told her she wasn't allowed there she been gone for 2weeks. if she needed her stuff she should of had a police present with her. She started flipping on me going off and crazy on me and started with the hitting again this time I was holding our daughter cause I had just picked her up from my moms who was watching her while I was at work. I walked outside to get away from her and she threw a milk crate at us. That was the final straw and I left to a safe zone to call the cops. They took her for DV. She never returned after that. A week later I get a latter in the mail saying I'm being charged with DV apparently when I was at work she called the cops and said I was abusing her and left b4 the cops got there.

I attempted to be civil with her and tried to do exchanges so I could go to work as well. My mom was starting to get very sick and couldn't watch our daughter as much as she once was. Now she decideds to get a job and move in with a friend from her work that lived 25min away in the opposite direction from my commute to work. I was doing all the drop off and pick ups cuz she still had no license. Then she started playing the oh ima have to cancel card on me. She picked up and extra shift she had plans this n that. Knowing my mom was sick and I had no other arrangements to watch our daughter. Calling off tomany times cause of that I eventually lost my job.

Not long after that my mom passed away, Almost immediately my step dad says we have 30 days to leave he's selling the property. I had no cause for concern I still thought I had all the money I was saving up when I was the only one working. Thats when I found out she took the money. All I had was my last check from my work it was a decent amount but it wasn't enough. So me and my daughter moved to Phoenix where my original job was at. Where we lived at was a small town no opertunity at all. As well as the ex completly stopping all contact with me not even calling or texting for our daughter I didn't see much reason to stay in that town anymore and be miserable.

Not having enough to get an apartment all that money went towards an extended stay. For a month. I spent that whole month calling up every resource I could and I would get turned down again and again I was told the help they provide is for single mothers not single fathers. Hitting brick wall after brick wall. The month was almost gone.

2days b4 we was to check out someone from city of chandler calls me back says he can help with an extended stay for a few months so I can save up and get a place. So there we were at the 2nd extended stay. Only this time my hole is getting deeper and deeper. The car I originally had the transmission went out I was going to pull it out and rebuild it till my step dad told us to leave. I got a car thru lyft applied to be a driver knowing I wasnt going to be doing much if any driving for them anyways and having repo experience I knew what the time frame was before reposition agents came looking for it and I knew how to hide the cars.

So now me and my daughter are in the new extended stay and I'm now 3 months overdue on the lyft car. Wasnt proud of my self but I was doing what I had to do. I got me another job lined up at another repo company. They had agreeded to hold my spot for me while I did what was nessary to get my daughter in daycare. This was post covid and I needed the birth certificate social and immunization records to get her into day care.. All the government buildings were shut down everything had to be mailed couldn't just go up to the social security office and get her a new card like before.

Eventually I got everything I needed and got her into daycare. I had to enroll her into a state funded scholarship program. My projected amount of income was too much for DES child care. So things were starting to look better. My job knew about the lyft car but looked the other way. Then BOOM it finally caught up to me. I forgot to park nose out and take the plate off when I got home I had the vins covered and a diffrent company spotted the car and picked it up. This was a week before my time with chandler was up and they could no longer pay for the extended stay. It had only been like 2 weeks since I had started working again due to snail mail taking forever to deliver said documents to get my daughter in daycare. So now I was back in the same boat. Not knowing what to do and once again not having enough for an apartment or an extended stay and no car and all our belongings in the extended stay I said screw it. I went and rented a uhaul the location had no pickups and so I had to get the small box truck.

For 2 months me and my daughter stayed in that damn uhaul. I would drop her off at day care go to work and then pick her up from day care we go to a park then once it got dark I would find a safe place to park so we could block the windows and sleep. I made the front comfortable for my daughter stuffed all the pillows blankets what ever I could to fill up the center gap so her her seat and the center gap made a bed for her perfect size too. She used the last blanket to cover up in and id use a jacket as a blanket and that whole 2 months I slept in the seated position seat wouldn't recline back cause it was a box truck.

I contacted my ex BM to ask her for help or if she could take our daughter for a while and explained we was staying in a uhaul she refused and that's when she informed me she too had moved to Phoenix and had been for 3 months prior. I told her when we moved we was moving to Phoenix yet she couldn't give me the same decency. She had been working for those 3 months and refused to help at all what so ever.

Finally I was able to save up and get us a 2 bedroom apartment. The 2 months in the uhaul was a nightmare for me because once again I wasnt making any payments on that uhaul and had only reserved it for 3days. My daughter enjoyed it she felt like we was traveling especially cause we go to the truck stop and buy shower time and stuff like that.

So we get the apartment I empty out the uhaul and I drop it off at the nearest uhaul location but at night time and left the keys in the night drop box. So we start taking the bus to work and daycare a month later my work gives me a car. One of the perks of repoing cars. I'm feeling good about my self my daughter is happy and healthy she has her own room she's in day care and my job had done me major solids and they said it was only cause I had a good reputation as a repo agent thats why they took the chance on me.

So things are starting to look up with the exception of BM not putting any effort at all. Then on one of my days off me and my daughter go to the car wash we washed the car stop at qt filled up the car with gas grab us some drinks were heading home them BOOM hit by a driver not paying attention that ran the stop sign to make matters worse he was uninsured. FML this was now 8 months ago.

Around the same time I applied for child support thru DCSS. I provided them with all the nessary info they asked. I used the programs at my work that we use when people fall off the map and we have a hard time finding them or the car. So I was able to pull up her address her work the whole 9 yards. 8 months later DCSS gives me 1 update and the update is she is not responding to the address verification letters they will not move forward until she does.

Because of the accident my daughter missed the allowed number of days and was removed from the state funded daycare program. DCS child care is still using the same excuse that my projected income is too high since I still have the same job once again there waiting for me. Past 8 months my rent was paid thru rental assistance and now my income tax. Just like the beginning everywhere I turn for help I'm told the help us geared towards single mothers not fathers or they say they will help yet drag there feet like how DCSS has been doing.

This has been one of the most difficult chapters of my life the past 3 1/2 almost 4years has challenged me in ways I never thought possible. I learned a lot about my self my daughter learned a lot about being a parent but most importantly my daughter is happy and has been happy the whole time not once has she complained. When we were in the uhaul before I asked my 3xifbshe could take our daughter I asked our daughter if she would wanna go stay with mommy for a little while while daddy looked for us a place to live and got in a more stable situation. No hesitation she said no daddy I'm not leaving you okay if daddy can't go with me to mommy's house then I don't wanna go daddy your my best friend and I will not leave my best friend behind. That shit hit me in the heart to hear her say that. My daughter is a diffrent breed she not like ur average child her age. I love her to death and everything I do I do in an effort for her just like I got a 2 bedroom so she can have her own room.

Well thats my story and believe it or not I left a lot of little stuff out. Honestly if you have managed to make it this far and read my story to the end my hats off to you. I honestly don't expect a Yonex to read this to the end. I have no family out here and it's just me and my daughter social life is next to none because of my situation and that's okay. I just felt the need to feel like I at least had someone to talk to...

What ever brought you guys to the situation your in with being single parents just know its not your fault. Don't blame ur self. I have done that many times. Even though I did all I could but there was times in the beginning where my daughter would ask me why doesn't mommy love her anymore her heart hurts she wants to be part of a family I've held her while she cried and I won't lie I've cried with her a few times as well. Just knowing I could give her everything she ever wants in life there will always be 1 thing she will always want that I can't give her and that's the other parent. It hits you hard when you realize your child is hurting because of the other parent and there's nothing you can do about it.

No matter how tuff shit gets don't give up. Don't hide your feelings neither. If you have to cry its ok cry don't hide it from your children let them know its ok to be sad sometimes its ok to hurt sometimes. I don't hide my emotions from my daughter I want her to see that its ok to be sad its ok it your hurting sometimes.
 
@deuteronomy13 Was hoping you would win the lottery at the end and this would be like the pursuit of happiness ..
really really sorry man. This has to be one of the saddest stories I’ve seen on here. Tons of stories about shitty dads, but this is definitely not one….
 
@frbrian I apologize for the delayed response, I didn't mean to intentionally delay you. Had a long night couldn't sleep and then was busy all day.
Man you are telling me, I thought when I got the car from my work and the apartment that things would be good for a while then I would be able to focus more on family court. Then boom getting hit by an uninsured driver cause they were texting on the phone and ran a stop sign. SMH it is what it is what can you do except just keep pushing.

I've never seen the pursuit of happiness. I seen the trailer way back when it 1st came out and it looked like a good move it really did however in the trailer I seen the scene when he was sleeping in the restroom with his son and I wasnt sure if emotionally I would of been able to handle watching it. This was way before my daughter was even born and I just Remer thinking like damn idk if I could ever do that idk if I ever be that strong of a person to have just me and my child and life get so hard that we would have to sleep somewhere like in a public restroom.
I'd probly watch it now but I won't lie I know for a a fact given everything me and my daughter have been through together with out a doubt I don't know if I'd be able to watch that movie without sheding a tear or two.

Your right there are a lot of shifty stories about dads but circumstances and details is what creates each story. I love my daughter to death and if my BM wasn't so much of a dead beat and there was no history of domestic violence or her hitting her self I know she would probky be over there more often just for the fact that I can't get any help. With all these organizations that turn me down and the reason was for the fact the help they provide is geared towards single mothers not single fathers makes me feel like shit makes me feel like telling them "so you mean to tell me my daughter has to struggle because the wrong parent decided to step up and stay behind with her and raise her on his own?"
I'm not sure what I'm going to do when she gets a bit older and she starts having friends and wants to have sleep overs. I real all the time about single fathers that have trouble in that area because most of the households with both parents don't trust having there little girl sleeping over and there just a dad around. Idk how much of an issue that may cause or if any but it seems to be big enough of an issue that there is no shortage of stories online from single dads that have or are going through it. I pray my daughter doesn't have to.
 
@deuteronomy13 Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.

It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.

Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.

Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
 
@deuteronomy13 I’m sorry, OP. Life has handed you a bag of sh$t and you’re doing your best to make lemonade out of it. It’s hugely impressive what you’re doing. Your daughter is learning some great lessons from her dad. How to be strong, resourceful, to do the right thing, and be there for the people you love. That’s what matters most, and that’s going to give her a big head start in life. Major respect and admiration for you.
 
@beginningtowonder Thank you I greatly appreciate that I really do. My apologies for the delayed response I wasnt trying to intentionally delay you. Just been rather busy. Its exactly like you say be there for the ones you love. I'm sure eventually the uhaul charge is going to come back and bite me. The lyft charge has already started to. I can't use lyft until the full amount of the rental car gets paid.

Do I have regrets? Yes and no. I regret being to tired and lazy that day to park the car nose out and take the plates off the car then I'm sure I have it a bit longer.

See AZ doesn't have front plates Lyft rented me a car with out of state tags that was on the front and back. Since people move all of the time repo companies drive with cameras on the trucks that scan plates let's u know when a car is up for repo. Theres too many cars on the list to be like wait thats a blue Honda ima check it. So usually unless the cameras alert the drivers u have nothing to worry about. Parking nose out with the plate on the front missing isn't suspicious in Arizona and I would take the rear plate off just incase. But that day I was tired the next morning my daughter woke me up and said our car was gone. I knew immediately why. She knows what i do for work I've taken her with me to work many times to repo peoples cars. So I told her the truth since I know she understands from repoing cars with me. Her response was aww man well daddy let's go to your work pick up your truck and take someone car and we can drive that one. 🤣

I explained it further and she understood. I'm not all to proud of having to make decisions like keeping the car or the uhaul but you gotta do what u gotta do sometimes. At least I just didn't keep them cars just to joy ride and damage them. We washed the uhaul and everything b4 returning it in the night box.
 
@deuteronomy13 Thanks for this. I’m doing bad raising my own 2 little ones. At least mentally. I have a lot of good going but struggle to keep it together. I know my situation could take a turn at any moment. I tip my hat to you my dude. You’re the best dad ever as far as I’m concerned. Hell I think you even got me beat. And I think I’m a pretty damn good dad if nothing else.
 
@katrina2017 I appreciate that man I really do. Its tuff I won't lie, to tell you the truth I don't know how I would make it having to kids by my self. Its hard enough as it is with 1. Also no immediate family around makes it harder. I just remember talking to the owner of the repo company I was at, mentally I was having a bad day. I didn't feel like running any if my accounts or being in my zones and thats odd for me cause I'm the type you have to pull me outta the repo truck just to get me to go home thats home much I love the job I never take lunch breaks anything I just love the job that much. That day I didn't wanna run and I decided to stay in the lot and process the vehicles and deal with debtors personal property and stuff.

He pulled me to the side and asked me what was wrong I told him I feel like a piece of shit I feel like a failure. That in my eyes its the man's job to keep the family together to do all he can to make sure we stay a family. After all I done to do that I still couldn't keep my family together.

He said let me tell you something. Your only being hard on your self and that's it nobody being more hard on you than you are right now to your self. Your not a piece of shit cause if you was you know what you would of done you would of told your self screw this if she don't wanna help me raise this child then I'm not going to do it by my self and you would if dropped her off at the 1st relatives house that would of had no problem watching her and then you would of left. The fact that you did not and there's a lot of guys that really do that dosemt make you a piece of shit. Ill tell you who the piece of sbit is and that's her she is because she left all the responsibilities for you to deal with she left all those difficult hard to answer questions that your daughter shouldn't be asking all for you to answer. She never calls text or care to visit and if she ever wants to do any of that its not on a consistent basis and its only at her convenience. Your still doing your job as the man. Your daughter mom may not be in the picture but as far as I can tell the 2 of you are still a family. You still have your family and as if now you still are doing whatever it takes to keep your family together. So don't ever feel that way because in life I will guarantee you right now no one will ever be harder on you than you are of yourself.

I thanked him I really needed to hear that from. Someone. The fact that it was the owner made me feel even more better. Honestly I don't thing any of us got a leg up on each other were all in the same boat trying our best not to tip ot over. I used to think as long as we have a roof over our heads and our belly full of food were good. Given everything we been through thats not always the case. We didn't always have a roof over our heads I mean staying in a uhaul I wouldn't consider that a roof over our heads and there was times during those 2 months we was hungry. We wasnt starving but we wasnt full neither. It made me realize and change .y train of thought. Now what really matters is as long as we're alive and safe thats all that matters.

I say the same for you too I tip my hat to any single parent but especially to those that have more than one child. Idk how I could of gone through all I gone through and have 2 or 3 or 4 children with me. Idk if I'm that strong I would try and try my best but no doubt would it not be an easy road to travel. Just remember at the end of the day at least you guys are alive and safe. No one is in any immediate danger or anything like that. They may not understand now but when they grow up they will.

I used to lie when my daughter ask about her mom I say she's at work or something I was running outta lies to say and I notice she wasn't believing me. She looked sad like if she knew I wasnt telling her the truth and somewhat if she wasn't worthy of knowing what was going on. Its because I was trying to follow the stuff I was reading online. One day u said screw it all kids are diffrent theres not a universal one way fits all type of answer. Eventually I started telling her age appreciate answers about what was going on the details I shared was what I felt she could handle and if I felt certain details she couldn't handle i wouldn't tell her. Once I started being honest with her she gave me a hug and told me thank you and was immediately happy after that. The relationship between me and my daughter grew stronger and stronger after that.
I don't hide my emotions from her and everything I tell her is age appreciate for her I try my best not to hide nothing from her and I know I can see it in her she appreciates me for doing that.
Only we know our children and that's it. Yea you can find helpful tips on the internet but when it boils down to the meat and potatoes no one knows our children better than we do. Major props that your pushing it with multiple kids someone that can do it on there own with multiple children in my eyes they're a rare breed.
Just keep doing what your doing as long as you guys are alive and safe thats all that matters.
I'll tell you what the owner of the repo company told me..
NO ONE WILL EVER BE HARDER ON YOU THAN YOU ARE BEING TO YOURSELF.
 
@deuteronomy13 Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.

It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.

Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.

Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
 
@deuteronomy13 OP, there is so much strength in sharing your story and I commend you for that. You have worked so hard for your child and young as she is, she can see that. Thank you for sharing your story because it’s important and shows how hard it is for single parents when the other parent isn’t involved. I also agree with you about how it’s okay to cry and show your emotions in front of your children; they can know that it’s okay to cry and let things out.

My ex husband was abusive and I have full custody of our four children. I get some child support but he won’t contact the kids or come see them during his supervised visitation afternoon. At this point, I’m sure we’ll never hear or see him again. I know that it’s not my fault that things have turned out this way with him, but it makes me sad for my children. My older kids told me they are happy I divorced him and they are much happier without him in our lives, but I’m sure they will have more questions someday. I also blamed myself for a long time and I’m starting to understand now that it wasn’t my fault and people make their own choices. It’s a tough journey and single parents are some of the strongest people out there. I’m sure your daughter knows how much you love and care about her. Sending lots of good energy and support your way~
 
@uziel I'm sorry to hear that. Surprisingly I've never been married, I say that because my longest relationship was 13years. Not with my BM tho. We was together for 7years. I've never been married though but I hear its hard and especially hard when there's children and property involved.
I have been fortunate enough to the fact that she hasn't tried to pull any of her tricks and tried to go the whole court route. I was ready just in case. With the fact that she has a history of domestic violence and I'm listed as the victim and its on paper that she basically cries wolf to the police about me I can see why she hasn't tried but I'm also surprised at the same time. She's tried to pull the whole she wants to come by when its convenient for her. When we was staying at the extended stay I would let her and our daughter take the bed and i would take the couch. The whole time we was there she came twice. Then when we got the apartment were in now she's been by 3 times. Then I had to put a stop to it. #1 it was mentally messing with our daughter, she wanna come by 1 night and got MIA for 3 months. It was hard for our daughter. #2 one of the nights she stayed the night, I would let her and our daughter take my bed in my room since I have a queen and I take our daughter bed since she has a full bed.
Well the next day when she left our daughter came and told me "daddy last night when you took a shower and me and mommy was in your room she got up and opened your box that full of papers, I told her what was she doing thats daddys box with important papers in it and she told me don't worry about it just go to bed"

I have a plastic file box and it has a little lock on it nothing extreme. I mean if someone wanted to they would just steal the whole box. After my daughter told me that I went into the closet and sure enough she busted off the latch from the rear of the file box and shuffled through it. So I had to put a stop to that because at that point she wasn't using the time to spend with our daughter she was using the time to snoop around.
She's never suggested or asked to take our daughter but I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her with our daughter alone. Not just because of the domestic violence but because we was bickering back n fourth on the phone one day and she told me I don't even want our daughter and I don't want you to have her and ill do and say what ever I have to just to make sure she goes to state. I won't lie that pissed me off to hear her say that.
Hopefully I get this court stuff glinting soon. I applied for this community legal aid that hooks you up with an attorney for free they work on your case file paperwork for you and if need be go to court for you. I had to apply 3 diffrent times. U apply online and then call them #1 time I was told I didn't qualify with my income but as you just read i have no income right now cause I have no one to watch our daughter the 2nd time I was told they only offer help to domestic violence victims and I said I am a domestic violence victim im listed as the victim the lady stayed quite then said oh we only help people get out of a domestic violence situation sorry. 3rd time which was the other day I finally made it thru the phone intake process and then they said I should hear from someone no later than 15 days. Idk well see what happens.

I know my daughter already sees and appreciates all I've done for her. Everything she's told me thank you for. Like when we was staying in the uhaul and I was sleeping in the sitting position for those 2 months because the seat didn't recline back. She said she woke up once during the night to get some water from the water bottle and she seen me sleeping sitting up and my hands were inside my shirt and I was covered up in my jacket that she looked at me and looked at her bed I fixed up for her with all the pillows and stuff and she had blankets and was comfortable and she went back to sleep the next day she asked me about it and gave me a hug and told me thank you. She's always talking about when we stayed in the uhaul she calls it the van.
Sorry for the long reply as you can see I tend to just drift off when I'm typing. I'm sure it's pretty obvious the social life is next to nonexistent its for a good reason tho but sometimes its nice to converse with someone other than a 5yo and even more so others that are in the same boat as far as being a single parent.
My hats off to you pushing it solo with 4 children im not sure I could of made it through all I have with 4 children. Its not easy with 1 I can't imagine with 4 I give any single parent props but I give even more to the single parents with multiple children....
 
@deuteronomy13 Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.

It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.

Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.

Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
 
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