A text message from England told an Australian man the nine-year-old girl he always thought was his daughter isn't technically his daughter. The man's reaction? He doesn't care. He's still her dad, and he wants her back. Cue the tears folks.
An Australian newspaper reports the man (whose identity is being protected) was in college in England with the girl's mother when she became pregnant. Believing the child was his, he stepped up in terms of financial support and involvement in the girl's life. By the time the girl was two, the couple's relationship fell apart. The "dad" met an Australian woman, fell in love and got married. His ex-girlfriend stayed in England, but she too fell in love and got married. The man continued to make trips back to England to see his little girl, sending presents and letters. His mother, who still lives in the UK, remained involved as well - even stepping in to babysit.
But in the past year, the man says the girl's mother made it increasingly difficult for him to see their daughter. Packages and letters he sent to the little girl were returned unopened. His lawyer suggested a paternity test would give him grounds in a legal case to see his daughter more often. The hope was that the result would reopen the lines of communication between Dad and daughter.
But the DNA test came back negative. The girl's mom sent a blunt text message: "Got the results. Im sorry. I will sort out the birth cert + there will b no more contact. Sorry." She followed it up with legal papers, cutting off the man's financial responsibilities. Now he's being offered a refund for child support. But all he wants is his little girl. "She's still my daughter," he told the newspaper. It sounds like we've found the poster dad for that saying "any man can be a father, it takes a real man to be a dad."
The hundreds of thousands of adopted children are evidence that a biological connection has nothing to do with the bond between a parent and a child. So is this really any different?
Image: The Mercury (paintings the little girl sent to her "dad")
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