An heartbreaking story of a dad’s life as a single parent since his baby mama left him and his baby child went viral. More fathers took on the task of single parenthood as a result of his narrative.
Richard Johnson, a father from Las Vegas, had the best day of his life in 2015 when his daughter Persephone was born. But a month later, when his partner abruptly left their life, his joy gave way to grief.
When he was left alone with the infant who had two holes in her heart when she was just one month old, reality hit him. The father was forced to brush up on his parenting skills and fill the gap in his daughter’s life.
He spent countless hours watching movies and reading articles online about parenting, braiding, and other parenting-related topics. At some point, he happened to come across the Facebook community Life of Dad, where he was able to interact with other dads going through comparable problems.
He received the inspiration he required to keep moving forward as a father from reading their experiences and seeing how they overcame difficulties. Thanks to the helpful dads on the platform who shared their own experiences, he quickly learned the ropes of fatherhood.
Once he was able to set his life back on track, Johnson did not hesitate to give back to the community that saved him at his lowest point.In November 2015, the dad of one shared an emotional post on the Facebook group, recounting his parenting journey and struggles as a single dad while appreciating the community for helping him and Persephone through a difficult time.
The then-21-year-old dad began by introducing himself and his daughter. He then explained how his baby’s mom left them for unknown reasons, adding that he suspected postpartum depression played a part.
Johnson went on to detail their journey in the last ten months, including how the Life of Dad group came to the rescue. He wrote:
“I always looked forward to photo submission and reading the stories of some of the awesome dads out there in this community. You truly helped my daughter and me through a difficult time.”
The man admitted they remained happy together even as Persephone clocked ten months. Over time, his friends began turning to him for parenting advice owing to the good job he did at raising his little girl alone.
It was all thanks to the Life of Dad Facebook group. The group anchor was only glad they could be of help to the single dad, saying:
“Wow, Richard. This is such a great message to receive. We’re so glad we were able to play even a small role in helping you with the beginnings of parenting.”
Other group members joined the emotional outpouring, commending the Las Vegas man for being a great dad able to harness the resources at his disposal. One comment read:
“You have my highest respect, Richard, as do all the single parents male and female, trying to raise a child alone. I know because I did it when I was younger. Not an easy task.”
The dad received so much support from netizens that he was forced to open a special Facebook page dedicated to his life as a single dad.
In the years that followed, he shared photos of Persephone in her different growing phases, crossing important milestones and bonding with him.
He also shared updates on her health, including her successful surgery to fix the holes in her heart. In 2017, the proud dad announced he found his daughter a new mom, who loved the little girl as much as he did.
A year later, the dad revealed his family was taking a break from the platform and would no longer share updates about their lives.
He also thanked fans for following him and Persephone through the years with their kind words and show of support, urging everyone to keep writing their own stories.
