Losing a child is one of the hardest experiences anyone can face in life. The pain of not being able to watch your baby grow, and only having pictures as a memory, is indescribable. This pain is compounded when a father has no say in the fate of his child due to legal circumstances.
In many places, the mother holds the majority of the rights when it comes to decisions
about the baby. In this case, the mother chose adoption. She was married to another man at the time, but they were separated when the child was born. As a result, my name was never put on the birth certificate.
This legal technicality meant that I had no say in the adoption process.
The child is now adopted and living her best life, and for that, I am grateful. But it still leaves me with a lot of thoughts and questions. The mother still messages me as if everything is normal, despite the fact that her life has taken a turn for the worse.