You really have a way with words.  You could teach a lot of people how to be a single parent, a lot of them think of themselves first.

Momma’s boy.  Too cute.  My son, who will be 20 in August had “Momma’s Boy” tatooed over his heart a few months ago.  I told him I loved it, but I hope that he never got put in jail… that could be a problem!

I love what you said about supporting your ex because it ultimately supported him.  Maybe more parents should recognize that.

Too few parents can do that. I know I didn’t.
I had such a deep resentment for my ex that it came between me and my son; My son lived with my ex most of the time, so I did not see my son a lot.
Thank God you didn’t let something like that keep you from seeing your son. Actually I mean, thank yourself; you’re a bigger person than I am.

I’ve told you a million times that you are a saint.  I don’t know if I could have been as good as you at maintaining for the best interests of the kids.

Dave, you have a lot of love to give and you are a remarkable man.  That’s what makes you such a good daddy.

Dave, while you retain a sense of whismy with your cereal obsession and love of toys, you never forgot the mantra of the parent, “Be the adult”.  I admire you for that.

That willingness to be reasonable and even beyond reasonable is extremely impressive.  You took fatherhood to the level it is supposed to be.

Dave, you have one of the biggest hearts I know.  Every “fault” you listed here....I don’t think any of us would think of them as faults.  I think it shows what a loving, lovable, and fun guy you are.

Every parent (at least every good parent) always wonders if they’ve done a good job or if they’ve made the right decisions along the way.

Have no doubt....no doubt at all....that DJ was blessed to have you as his daddy.  If I asked for a show of hands from everyone here who agrees, not one hand would be down...I guarantee it. 

You were such a loving father and that big smile on DJ’s face is proof of what a wonderful job you did raising him.

All I can say is G-d Bless you.

You’ve absolutely done the right thing, and please never have a doubt that you didn’t.

There are not many people in this world with a heart as big as yours.

Dont doubt yourself. All the examples given are certainly justifiable. They’re not faults, but rather indications of your individuality and personality. The 6 weeks you spent away, I’m sure DJ knew you were on a lifesaving mission. His daddy was, without a doubt, his own living super hero. Continue to say strong… there’s obviously plenty of us who need you!

You are a saint and your ex was extremely lucky to have a man like you in her life. Men with such caring hearts are hard to come by these days.

I realize you’ve simplified this for us and that there is a lot more complication behind the decisions you made, but I can’t see anything wrong with what you have decided.  I also don’t find your description of your 32-year-old self to be anything eccentric.  I’m not saying you’re like everyone else on the planet, but everything you said to describe who you are just keeps adding to my opinion that you’re awesome.

“Some nights its enough… other nights it HAS to be enough.”

That sentiment is something I will be carrying with me from now on.  Thank you, Dawg.

I am confident that the decisions that you make are made with the purest of intentions.  You have a huge heart, and it is so evident.  You are a wonderful man.  Thank you for sharing this...there are lessons here that I needed to learn. 

Love you Dawg.

I’m very sorry for your devastating loss. 

I came here from a link somewhere else and this is what I wanted to say...your son is so precious and so beautiful.  His picture makes me smile.  Carry him in your heart.

I’ve always admired you & Pudding for putting DJ first. One thing I’m really glad to see Dave, is you are seeing the RIGHT things you & his mom did. So often we look back at things & see our wrongs, but you hit the nail on the head with, “the purest of intentions.”
Your son always wore a smile, giggled, had a child’s heart & that is because he had 2 unselfish parents.

My heart goes out to a wonderful person with a heart of gold.  The way you word your words is what’s appealing.  You are a inspiration to us single parents, Thank you!!!

I think you made a decision to be the best father you could be no matter what that entailed and you did it. I think you are a saint, too.

The [url="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-to-become-a-creative-genius.html"]How
to Become a Creative Genius[/url] article at lifehack.org and this online decision maker might give you some ideas for better decision making.

Sorry, reposting because previous comment posted wrongly.
The [url="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-to-become-a-creative-genius.html"]How
to Become a Creative Genius[/url] article at lifehack.org and this online decision maker might give you some ideas for better decision making.

I love your honesty and ability to communicate through words. It will help you through this time. You have an outlet.

I don’t know you but I think of you often and what you are going through.

You sound like such a great dad. So what if you got obsessed with cereal. You were there AND you know how to have fun. That’s all a kid really wants. Someone they can depend on and can enjoy the same things.

I don’t think people should judge the relationship you had with Pudding until they walk in your shoes. The fact that they ask why you are doing it just shows they don’t understand.

I think it is commendable that DJ wasn’t a pawn. So many kids are.

i think that’s been the hardest part of parenting for me--knowing that every move i make, every breath i take (apologies for the lapse into police lyrics) will somehow affect the bob in one way or another for the rest of his natural life.

you do the best you can and hope for the best.  and from what i can gather, you did a helluva lot better than many.

take care of yourself, dawg.