To the dad that was never my dad;

Thank you.

Thank you for showing me who to not look for in a husband.

Thank you for being the first guy to break my heart.

Thank you for showing me the parent that I do not want to be.

From constantly being the "Cinderella" to your other children to being manipulated like a child whose parents are divorced should never be, I thank you.

I remember asking "Can I call my mom" while I was at your house one weekend and your response was "But you never call us while you're at your moms".

I remember not being allowed to answer the door when I saw it was my mom.

I remember screaming and crying when you came to pick me up for 2 weeks over the summer.

I remember being pulled out of class because you decided to fight for custody because my mom was an "unfit mother".

I remember my step mom bribing me with ice cream to get me to talk about my mom to her.

I remember coming home to my mom's house and finding a giant box with all my stuff in it with a letter from you.

Thank you.

Thank you for not letting me call my mom, because it made me want to talk to her even more.

Thank you for not letting me open the door for my mom, because it made me want to be with her even more.

Thank you for pulling me out of class to go to court, because I got to tell the judge that I wanted to be with my mom.

Thank you for wanting all or nothing, because I got it all. I got my mom.

You're not my dad. You don't get the opportunity or the privilege to call me your daughter. I don't have a dad, and I am okay with that.

I don't need a dad because I got a mom. A mom that learned both rolls. A mom that was and is a better father than you will ever be.

Sincerely,

A Daughter