A parent’s love is unconditional. It’s one of the few things a person can be certain to have forever, no matter what. But that isn’t always the case. Richard, a single father, found this out the hard way when his wife left him and his newborn son without much of an explanation. Heartbroken and overwhelmed, he did his best to raise the boy on his own.

Everything seemed to be heading towards a happy ending-- until an unexpected visitor came knocking 25 years later. Who could be on the other side of the door? Will Richard and his son ever find out why his wife abandoned them? Let’s find out.

Everything Changed When The Baby Came

Richard shared his story on the popular subreddit, r/JUSTNOMIL, in 2018. He began by introducing himself as a single father, but not by choice. You see, he had a wife once, and they lived a happy life together. But everything changed when they had a baby.

Children are typically welcomed with joy, especially by married couples who are on their way to start a family. That wasn’t the case with Richard and his wife. Instead of bringing them together, the coming of their son quickly tore them apart, and their life was turned upside down in a matter of days.

She Rejected Their Child Right Away

For starters, Richard noticed how his wife didn’t even want to hold their newborn son. She even refused to feed him. Her behavior was a stark contrast to what is expected of a new mother. It’s as if she didn’t want anything to do with her own child at all!

Worse, this kind of rejection from her could’ve caused their son to develop an attachment disorder, which could affect him for the rest of his life. Experts say that the onset of this condition can be observed in children under five years old who are neglected by their parents.

One Plausible Explanation

Noticing his wife’s attitude towards their son, Richard suspected that she was suffering from postpartum depression. The condition can last for months and even years but typically goes away when a woman receives proper help.

Although he isn’t a medical professional, that was one of the most plausible explanations he came up with for the unusual way she was acting after what was supposed to be a happy event. And so, Richard tried to give his wife some more time to recover and adjust to her new role as a mother. He was determined to be there for her.

And They Never Saw Her Again

Unfortunately, Richard’s wife was determined to disappear forever. Just a few days after welcoming her son, she packed her bags and left him at the hospital. She told her husband that she never wants to see him nor their child ever again.

She kept her end of the bargain, and they never heard from her again after that. You can probably imagine the amount of pain those parting words caused Richard. The woman he loved (and who he thought loved him back) ditched him and their growing family with not much of a proper explanation.

Reality Sinks In

Left in shock and holding his newborn son in his arms, reality started to sink in for Richard. Barely into his 20s, he found himself not only a first-time parent but also a single parent overnight. And aside from needing to do the job of two people on his own, he was left with an infant at its most crucial stage in life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), newborn babies face the greatest risk of dying during the first 28 days of their lives. This means that infants need to be watched over 24/7. Thankfully, Richard was up for the challenge.

It Takes A Village

He needed to make some sacrifices right away. Finding it impossible to juggle work and the care of his son, Richard ended up quitting college. The good news was that he had plenty of help during this tough time in his life and the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” proved true in his case.

While he was out working, he found people who were willing to watch over his son. They were even kind enough to give him plenty of parenting advice. This kind of help is particularly invaluable for a single father like Richard, given the high costs of childcare in the United States.

Some Things Got Easier, Some Didn’t

With infanthood far behind them, things eventually became easier for Richard and his son. The single father got to rest more easily when the boy entered kindergarten and no longer needed to be left in the care of friends. But as some things got easier, some didn’t.

Despite all the years that have passed, Richard still thought about his wife from time to time. There were even instances when he hoped to receive a phone call from her. He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around how a mother could leave her child as if it were just a piece of trash.

Zero Contact

As much as Richard hoped to hear from his wife, she made zero efforts to contact them as the years passed by. He knew for certain that this was a conscious effort on her part because he made sure to leave her his contact details before they parted ways that day at the hospital.

What broke Richard’s heart more was that she didn’t call or write once to check on their son. That’s why he never really knew what to say to the boy whenever he occasionally asked where his mother was.

Something To Remember Mom By

But despite the anger and resentment, he felt for his wife, Richard didn’t speak ill about her, especially in front of their son. Perhaps he didn’t want the boy to grow with such bitterness in his heart. And besides, she was still his mom.

They may not share a physical connection, but they still shared the same DNA. In an effort to have something to remember his mother by, Richard showed his son a picture of her. He even showed the boy a photograph of his grandmother, who has also disappeared from their life.

Theirs Was An Unconventional Household

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Richard’s son grew up into a fine young man, and the single father was proud of how the boy turned out despite all that they’ve been through. With the majority of single-parent homes being led by single mothers, theirs was an unconventional household.

At 25 years old, Richard’s son was hardworking and educated. He was definitely defying the results of studies done about children who had a similar background as him. It was discovered that adults who grew up in one-parent homes are twice as likely to develop substance abuse issues as their counterparts who grew up in a two-parent home.

The Struggles Of Being A Single Dad

Although Richard didn’t elaborate much about the specific struggles he faced while raising his son alone, single fathers tend to face the same common problems. There’s the issue of adapting to child custody arrangements with an estranged spouse. Then there’s the added complication of dealing with extended family.

With that said, Richard lucked out in many ways. Since his wife abandoned their son, he had sole custody of him. His in-laws were also out of the picture, so he didn’t have to deal with the added drama that came with them.

Completely Out Of The Picture

Richard’s son eventually stopped asking about his mother out of his own initiative. Over time, he realized and came to accept that she didn’t want to communicate with them at all. It was her loss, her choice, and there was nothing they could do to change that.

But although she was completely out of the picture, it didn’t mean that Richard’s son was totally at peace with the way he was abandoned by his own mother. His repressed emotions would later come out when he was forced to confront the past with the coming of an unexpected visitor.

An Unexpected Visitor From the Past

Answering a knock on their door, Richard came face to face with someone he thought he’d never see again. It was his wife’s mother! Technically his mother-in-law came to their home without any kind of prior notification at all. Apparently, she wanted to give her grandson, who she hasn’t seen since he was a baby, a visit.

As expected, Richard couldn’t believe what was happening. He almost didn’t recognize her at all, what with 25 years having passed since they last saw each other. He wasn’t alone in being shocked by the unexpected visitor.

Nothing But A Stranger

What was more shocking, though, was that the grandmother was acting like she’s always been a presence in their life. Richard couldn’t help but notice how she was making it seem like she’s just making a routine visit to her grandson like she’s done it all the time.

Richard’s son didn’t even recognize her from the old photo he’s seen before. As harsh as this might sound, the reality was that she was nothing more than a random stranger to her grandson. But that didn’t stop her from continuing her act.

Like Nothing Ever Happened

Seeing her grandson all grown up, she immediately ran up to him and gave him a hug. As a typical grandmother would, she began asking him how he was doing and commenting on how handsome he had grown up to be.

Meanwhile, Richard was still taking in how bizarre the whole situation truly was. Here was his wife’s mother, who appeared out of the blue, acting all chummy like nothing ever happened! It was almost like he misremembered the past. His son’s reaction reminded him of what was really going on.

Not The Kind Of Welcome She Expected

He pushed his grandmother away, confused. His demeanor didn’t change much, though, when Richard explained who she was. She didn’t take this kind of response too kindly. Expecting a different kind of welcome, she quickly turned against her son-in-law to blame him.

Incredulous about being treated like a stranger by her own flesh and blood, she asked Richard what it was he’d been teaching his son all those years. She was obviously offended by the fact that her grandson didn’t see it fit to give her a proper greeting upon their first meeting.

Confronted With The Harsh Truth

After being bombarded by many accusatory questions, Richard confronted his mother-in-law with the harsh truth. She was a stranger, and that was a fact she had no right to be surprised about. He then bluntly laid out the reality of the situation for her.

Richard told her that she couldn’t just show up out of thin air after never having bothered to pick up the telephone to connect with her grandson. What’s more, she was delusional to expect him to treat her with love right away within just the first few minutes of meeting him.

Years Worth Of Pent-Up Emotions Came Flooding Out

Richard didn’t get to talk for long, though. His son soon took the floor and confronted his own grandmother himself. With year’s worth of pen-up emotions seemingly flooding out, he asked her one question after another. Be warned, the answers his grandmother gave back might upset you, too.

The son began by inquiring about where his mother has been all those years he needed both of his parents to be there for him. Although she looked surprised to be asked such a question, his grandmother told him the many things his mother had been up to.

Like A Slap In The Face

The grandmother revealed that her daughter had a new family after giving birth to two more children. Apparently, she had also found a new man and was currently living with him. We imagine these pieces of information were like a slap to the face for both Richard and his son.

Worse, the grandmother made it seem like her daughter was the victim all along. Like it was Richard who left with their son and broke her heart. She even said that she had finally gotten over the misunderstanding surrounding the birth of her first child.

Then Came The Heartbreaking Explanation

Richard’s son then proceeded to ask the million-dollar question, “Why did my mother abandon me?”. The explanation his grandmother gave was truly heartbreaking, especially because of how simply she put it. She said that her daughter was just too young to be having a baby the time she did.

With her whole life ahead of her, it would have been totally crazy to give all that up to raise a kid. The grandmother then pleaded with her grandson to understand that his mother didn’t want to lose the freedom she had at the time.

Richard’s Suspicions Were Confirmed

Hearing those words come out of his mother-in-law’s mouth, things started to make sense for Richard. He had always suspected that his wife’s mother had a hand in making her believe that she was too young to have a kid.

What Richard found even more strange was that his wife was already 24 when she had their son. It wasn’t like she was on her way to becoming a teen mom. And besides, if someone was too young, it was probably him as he was just 21 when he became a father.

A Worldwide Phenomenon

We could still see where Richard’s mother-in-law was coming from, though. The current generation of Americans, as well as the rest of the developed world, are notably deciding to have kids later than previous generations did. The average age for first-time mothers, for example, jumped up to 26 from 21.

Some even start having kids much later than that. With the accessibility of assistive technologies like in vitro fertilization, women today have the opportunity to put off starting a family to pursue a career. Of course, this phenomenon doesn’t make what Richard’s wife did right at all.

Age Had Nothing To Do With It

Richard himself believed that her decision had nothing to with age at all. If it did, he could’ve easily done the same thing, too. He could’ve walked away from his son and continued living his life like nothing happened, and yet he didn’t.

He chose to stay instead because he wanted to be a father to his son. That said, we understand how his mother-in-law’s responses upset him so much. In fact, Richard was planning on asking her to leave when his son stopped him. He had one final question for his grandmother.

The Last Straw

He asked her why she didn’t want to be his grandmother all those years ago. She reasoned that she didn’t have time to take care of him because she considered herself to be a young woman, too, at that time. Besides, she thought that it was grandchildren who are obligated to care for grandparents.

She then dropped the bomb and said that was the reason she came to see him. As it turns out, the grandmother was expecting the grandson she abandoned to be her retirement plan! That proved to be the last straw, and the son told her to leave and never return again.

The Lady Doth Protest

As expected, the grandmother didn’t leave without protest. Before walking out the door, she hurled more insults at Richard. She said that her impression was proven right; a man alone can’t raise a proper human being. The proof she pointed out was her grandson, who she called rude and impolite.

The grandmother even taunted Richard by saying that his son would have been better off at an orphanage. You single fathers out there need not worry, though. Her remarks contradict actual studies that say that children raised by single fathers are on par with those raised by single mothers and sometimes even perform better academically.

What On Earth Was She Expecting?

With his mother-in-law gone, Richard finally had the time to realize the things that just transpired in his home. He ended up venting his feelings on the Internet. Recounting the story, he wondered what kind of thinking led her to return and expect to be received with open arms.

She never contributed anything to his son’s upbringing and education. How can she think it was okay to be forgiven so easily? Richard even wondered whether they were her last resort after she was turned away by her own daughter for the way she acted.

Outpour Of Support

Richard’s Reddit post has since gotten over 11,000 upvotes. What’s more, people in the r/JUSTNOMIL subreddit commented messages of support for him and his son. Many praised him for being a great father and raising a son who could see through phony people.

Although he didn’t reply much, we bet those words meant a lot to Richard. After going through a lot of hardships, all parents would appreciate some recognition that affirms their efforts we’re not for nothing. Richard raised a strong man who could stand up on his own, and that was something he should be proud of.

The Best Gift The Father And Son Could Receive

It’s also worth noting that Richard posted the story around the holiday season. It’s safe to assume that the unexpected visit also happened around that time. That said, we agree with the commenters who said that seeing the grandmother’s true colors was one of the best Christmas gifts they could receive.

No more what-ifs. Knowing how awful she and her daughter truly were, Richard and his son could realize that they were better off being away from them. Making the effort to have them back in their life wasn’t worth all the headaches that came with dealing with the grandmother at all.

The Untold Side Of The Story

Still, we can’t help but wonder about the side of the story we never got to hear: that of Richard’s wife. Was she really brainwashed by her mother into abandoning her husband and son? Was she as bad of a person her mother appeared to be?

Unfortunately, we’ll likely never know the answer. Just like Richard and his son, we’ll never know precisely what was going on in her mind when she left or if she regretted leaving. What’s important is that the father and son had some sort of closure from the grandmother’s explanations.

Moving Forward

Now, we can only wish that the son was able to move forward with his life, having made peace with his past. His father certainly hoped so. In one of Richard’s final Reddit posts, he said that he believed that his son was mature enough to not long for someone that wanted nothing to do with him.

Wherever Richard’s son is today, we’re hoping his painful experience didn’t deter him from creating something he never had: a complete and happy family. We’re confident he could be a better parent than his own mother ever was with the support of his father, who has stood by him from the start.