Finding out you are going to become a parent can be either exciting or scary. For some people, it’s a mixture of both, especially if it is their first child.
But when you make it through the trials and joys of pregnancy to see your little one brought into this world, and you can hold them in your arms for the very first time, sometimes all of your worries can melt away. All you know is that you are there and your newborn child is there, and that’s all that matters in the world.
But that isn’t always the case for every new parent. Some children are given away for adoption for a variety of reasons. Others are unfortunately abandoned because the parent couldn’t handle the responsibility or they were unfit in the first place.
As a child, knowing your parent abandoned you is a hole that can never be filled. But when you are the other parent whose partner has abandoned you and this newborn child, the reality of the situation heartbreaking.
That is unfortunately what Richard Johnson experienced in 2015.
In January 2015, Richard’s beautiful daughter Persephone was born.
But unfortunately, within Persephone’s first month, her mother took Persephone and left Richard to escape in California.
However, she quickly changed her mind. She threatened to put Persephone up for adoption if Richard didn’t come get the baby. (Richard thinks she might have been suffering from postpartum depression.)
Richard immediately acted, boarding the earliest plane and bringing his daughter back home.
But soon after he arrived, Richard’s grim reality hit him. He was only 21 years old with a newborn infant to look after.
He had no idea what to do, having no previous experience and still being young himself.
While on Facebook, Richard came across a Facebook group for fathers called “Life of Dad”. There, he found a community that gave him hope. He saw other single fathers like him thriving with their children, and inspired him to be his best self for Persephone.
He shared his story with the Life of Dad community, and his touching story quickly went viral.
https://www.facebook.com/lovewhatreallymatters/posts/1009518992403832
My name is Richard Johnson, and I’m a single father to a beautiful little girl named Persephone. Her mother left about a month after she was born. We still don’t know exactly why, but we suspect post-partum depression played a part. In the first few weeks of it being just her and me, I stumbled upon your page by accident. I was so nervous and scared about being a father in general, but now I was a single father and had to fulfill two roles. I wasn’t sure I could do it.
I had read every “new parent” book I could find and clocked in over 1000 hours in YouTube videos from everything to braiding hair and painting nails to theories on how to deal with common parental issues. I then started to watch your page more closely and saw that there were other fathers out there who were in similar predicaments as me. The page started to turn into a major confidence booster and really helped me through all of this.
I always look forward to photo submissions and reading the stories of some of the awesome dads out there in this community. You truly helped my daughter and me through a very difficult time.
We’re both very happy now and continue to grow together everyday. She’s now 10 months, and I now get asked by my friends for parenting advice constantly. We’ve come a long way, my daughter and me, and we definitely owe part of that to this page and the people within it. So from both of us, we wanted to thank you.
Sincerely,
Persephone & Richard Johnson
Other Facebook users showed their support for Richard and Persephone, recognizing him and his tremendous effort.
But Richard and Persephone’s story doesn’t end there. According to Richard’s Facebook feed, there seems to be a new woman in his life.
In April 2017, Richard shared this heartwarming update:
This lovely lady is my girlfriend and Persephone[‘s] wonderful and gorgeous Mother Jennifer.
We had met at the mall while I pathetically attempted to catch her attention by asking if she could help me pick out clothes for Persephone.
I explained that I wasn’t sure what actually matched and need some pointers considering my own closet had consisted of nothing but black, faded black, and dark black clothes.
Even though Richard and Jennifer hit it off immediately, he wasn’t ready for her to meet Persephone just yet. He was protective of his little girl.
We had talked for months before I allowed her to meet Persephone. Upon meeting her Persephone had made the choice that this would be her mommy.
Persephone wasn’t a fan of women and would normally shun away from them. She had only known her bearded father and his friends.
The first time they had met Persephone had cried to be held by Jennifer.
Fast forward to today, Jennifer has helped us become the family we desperately wanted to be. Persephone knows no other woman other than her as mommy.
When she cries out for Mommy it is Jennifer that she requests.
She has taken on a part of Jennifer’s personality. It is truly amazing to see the two of them bound so strongly.
Jennifer’s family has also taken the spot of grandparents, cousins, great grand parents, etc.
They have shown her so much love and acceptance I can not begin to explain.
It’s so touching to see how far Richard has come. He really stepped up to the plate for his daughter, and because of his efforts, now Persephone has a mother to love and adore.
What an inspiration to follow.
Please SHARE this heartwarming story with your friends and family.
