You stiffed all of those babysitters and you are proud of it? Shame on you! ;-)
My experiences with my daughters were very much like Fish is describing. There is nothing I have ever loved more than being a dad. Then one day my former wife set fire to all of that, and then she dropped bombs on everything for good measure, even calling an Amber Alert on me when she knew I was actually coaching my daughter's soccer team. She poisoned my daughters (especially the oldest) against me for years. I went from reading stories to my girls every night to living alone in a dingy apartment in the blink of an eye. It was pure hell. Worse than I could ever put into words.
The amazing thing is that somehow, after some dark times, all the pieces have been reassembled in a more wonderful way than ever before. My mom promised me they would, as she lay dying. And she was right. Another good friend said to me, "Something amazing must be coming your way because these things tend to even out, and it's obviously going to take something incredible to make up for what you're going through right now." I thought he was crazy, but I now know better.
Today I have a life that's better in every way (except for full custody of my daughters and the loss of both of my parents) than I could ever even have dreamed of before. My relationship with my oldest is good again, and my relationships with the younger two are wonderful. And now, through some miracle, I also have four boys, two successful businesses (one of which I rescued from the ashes of my first marriage), and an absolutely amazing wife and life. It is a miracle.
And I read this thread because I love to play ping pong. I'm pretty good, but way too busy and I live too far away for the tourney. Have fun!
