Hi cakeladie. I was very interested in your post. You've re-inforced a suggestion I made about something that I think has become a trend. The dad's who care the least are probably the slickest at immediately laying down the groundwork for this defense of "She has turned the child against me and/or she prevents me having contact."

Years ago, my boyfriend used to tell me about a divorced guy he knew who used to hang around a neighborhood bar and was always going to the jukebox to play, "Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?" (a country/western tune) My bf would be almost in tears telling me about this great guy who "adored" his little girl, but told everyone at the bar how his ex wasn't letting him have much contact. "Yeah," my bf used to say, "poor guy was always there at the bar, playing that song and trying to drown his sorrows in booze. Oh, how he loved that child." It just now dawned on me what a crock 'o crap that probably was . . . and what the reality more likely was. I guess deadbeat/uninvolved dads have been peddling this bull-doo-doo since forever.

Kudos to you, c.l., for managing well on your own, parenting your son. I'm sure there were times when it was tough.