My mom just got a divorce. I’m going to share something that I’ve realized upsets me more than I originally thought. I wasn’t really close to this man but he was..the only “father figure.” My family had.

He isn’t our biological father. Anyways, They got a divorce after 17 years and he might as hell have divorced the kids too. He just up and left. He pays child support but he has made absolutely ZERO effort to have any lasting relationship with my siblings. No visits, no calls, no texts. The only dad they knew walked out on them and what’s even more sad about this is that the older ones are like “good riddance.” But the youngest straight up told my mom “I just want a dad.”

My brothers and sisters distain for him is justified because he was a freaking jerk. I just don’t understand this on his part. How can you raise these kids and then just ghost on them like they don’t mean shit to you. You are the only father they knew and you at least owe it to them even if they are bitter about something to TRY and have some kind of relationship. They’ve known you as a dad since they were little babies.

Then again he had 17 years to build relationships with them and failed to. He and I never got along because I was the oldest and I was his freaking target and the “daughter he was stuck with.” Because his own daughter had nothing to do with him on her own terms.

I just don’t understand this guy, man. This shouldn’t even be surprising to me. But somehow it is. And I know that it’s affecting my family more than they let on because even though he was a jerk off, again he WAS the only father figure. And he just walked away. For me, my uncle was my father figure so I have that but they don’t. There’s a lot of bitterness here and idk how to let go of that. I want to punch him in the nose. (BTW** my younger brothers and sister are all adopted and that’s how he’s not their biological dad even though they’re younger than me. But it’s not like that makes a difference because the kids he made biologically have nothing to do with him either as grown adults.)

I don’t even care if anyone responds to this at all. I just wanted to talk about it.