After nearly seven years without contact, I am finally heading into mediation and, if necessary, court in an effort to be part of my daughter's life again.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can do this. I'm not wealthy, but I am stable. I have a good home, an amazing wife, a loving family, and a life that I would be proud to share with my daughter.
I won't turn this into a sob story, but facing this process is difficult. There is a lot of history here, and every step gives me real anxiety to work through.
What hurts most is knowing how much time has passed. For 14 years of her life, I haven't been allowed to build the relationship that a father and daughter should have. The expectations to earn that opportunity were typically impossible to meet.
For a long time, I felt powerless to change that.
Today, I don't.
For the first time, I am taking back some control of the situation and asking the State of Montana to help ensure that my parental rights-and more importantly my daughter's right to know her father-are respected. I don't know exactly how this ends- but I am doing the right thing.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and helped me get here. ♥