Dear “Dad,”

You were my first heartbreak. Seeing the man in my life leave as a child, that killed me. Was it my fault? Was I not good enough? These are the kind of questions I would ask myself for years after you left. Not trusting guys, thinking everyone will walk out on me, anxiety, these are only a few of the things I dealt with just because of you. Your one choice to leave affected me in more than a million ways and it wasn’t until a year or two ago that I realized, you just don’t matter anymore.

You never deserved that title "Dad" in the first place, after leaving mom and I. After years of hating you so much, after tears falling from my elementary school innocent face because I didn’t have a dad to take to the daddy daughter dances, and all the grudges I held because you never seemed to care about the family you left behind. I now, as an adult want to thank you.

Thank you for letting me see how amazing and strong mom is. Being a single parent, working three jobs at once while still being so remarkable and caring 24/7, you did that to her. It showed me, though, what it means to truly love someone and how you would do anything for them. For a mom to play both parts in parenting … it was amazing to watch growing up. Yeah things were hard at times, but we were better off without you and I thank you for making her and I’s relationship so much stronger.

One of the most important reasons I want to thank you for leaving is the fact that I got a dad that actually earned the title. The dad who let me drive his truck at 15 when learning how to drive, the dad who scares all the guys that take me on dates, the dad who puts in the time and effort into our relationship and never makes me feel unloved by him. If you didn’t leave, I wouldn’t have gotten a second chance at having an amazing life spent with a dad that actually deserves my love.

Because of you, I’m a stronger individual. You leaving made me realize that not everything works out, and that’s okay. I’m a wiser person when it comes to relationships now, surprisingly putting up a wall actually helps at times. I don’t believe everything I hear because you were the king of lies, but it helps me now, knowing to not trust everyone you meet. You leaving made me learn a lot of life lessons at a young age, but if I could go back I would still have you leave. My life is great now, and I forgive you for the mistakes you made. Dads are supposed to make their daughters stronger, and that’s exactly what you did.

Thank you,

Your Daughter.