Raising a baby alone isn't easy, but imagine if you were a teenage boy and taking on the task completely by yourself. That's why one teen wasn't sure where to turn for help after his parents kicked him out and his baby's mother left them. Now, the struggling new father is turning to strangers on the internet for help.
The teen explained that he met his ex at "a kickback" when he was 17.
In a post that has since been deleted, he shared that it all started off as fun. The two would spend time together "getting high and [expletive] off."
But pretty soon after they met, she got pregnant.
So they decided to scrape money together to raise the baby and "figure things out along the way."
However, he decided to keep the baby a secret from his parents for the first month of her life.
He was so committed to secrecy that he didn't even tell his parents when his daughter was born and missed the birth to keep her hidden. He'd lie and tell his parents he was tutoring for a few hours after work "when in reality I was sneaking over to my ex's house to see my kid."
"Sometimes my ex would leave and ask me to stay and watch our daughter, so I had no choice but to look after her while she went out and did whatever for hours," he added.
Eventually, his parents started to get suspicious.
One day they followed him to his ex's house from school and confronted him about lying when he got home. When they found out they had a secret grandchild, they freaked out.
"They kicked me out for the night and I was given an ultimatum the next morning: leave my ex and daughter and move in with my aunt states away or stay with my ex and be cut off," he recalled.
Ultimately, he decided to stay with his ex, and his parents stayed true to their word.
They completely cut him off and haven't had any contact with him in months. He and his ex eventually moved in together (with a roommate) and the teen got his life together.
"I was able to get a part-time job at a convenience store, stopped using pills, and graduated early last year," he wrote.
Unfortunately, his relationship started to crumble when he learned his ex was still using.
They had both committed to staying clean after their daughter was born, but when he found out she was using drugs again, he was crushed.
"I realized I couldn't trust her when I found the baggies hidden in her drawer and started to understand what she meant when she said she was 'going out.'" he explained. "We got into a nasty argument and I ended up taking my daughter to a friend's house where we camped out for a few days."
When he returned, he found out that his ex had left.
It's now been months and he still hasn't heard from her.
"My biggest issue now is the fact that I feel like I'm a burden on my roommate and I'm having to raise a baby by myself," he admitted.
The now 18-year-old is working full time at a country club, but he doesn't make a ton of money, doesn't have a car, can't afford to go to college, and doesn't have much money in savings.
"I don't know whether I should try and patch things up with my parents or find some way to get in contact with my ex but I feel like if I don't do something soon I might have a mental breakdown," he wrote.
Most people chimed in to tell the dad that he was doing a good job.
"Dude, well done. You've been put in a really impossible situation and you are absolutely smashing it," one commenter wrote. "I would probably try and speak with your parents, swallow your pride and ask for help. If your ex has just left like that then I doubt she will be much of a source of support for you. I hope you figure something out, but in the meantime keep going and do your best."
"It's hard to ask for help but you need [it] and maybe your parents have cooled off and can help or other family," a second person advised. "You are doing great and keep going for your daughter."
A third commenter had this to say:
"Honestly so proud of you for sticking through it and being mature. I can't even imagine how hard it is. Your daughter will thank you one day. No matter the circumstances with your parents they love you no matter what and will probably want to be in their granddaughters life. Swallow your pride and reach out to them … you were probably going to reconnect eventually. Stay strong. We all have faith in you, you're doing the impossible. Brighter days ahead. Also wouldn't hurt to get a paternity test just in case."
In an update to his post, the teen shared that he bit the bullet and reached out to his parents.
He left a voicemail for his dad and "after a bit of convincing," his dad agreed to meet.
"I brought my daughter with me and as soon as he saw her, he broke down," he wrote in the update, which has since been deleted. "There were a lot of tears, hugs, and apologies from both sides and even though I can tell he's still a little apprehensive about everything, I'm just glad to have him back in my life."
His mom isn't ready to speak to him just yet, but she does eventually want to meet his daughter.
"I was told that writing her a letter might be the best way to initiate a conversation with her, so I'm gonna try it," he added.
As for his daughter, he's going to apply for full custody of her, as well as government assistance. And he's hoping that he can go to college too.
"I can't even put into words how blessed I feel and how hopeful I am for the future," he continued before thanking Reddit for their help. "You all are truly amazing."
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
