bro, you made a nice positive life for yourself for a guy that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and without (it appears) good male role models.
My wife also had a deadbeat dad with a side family. I think we both overcompensate to ensure ours never see the kind of crap that we did. The saddest part is when dad finally settles down and comes home, and the whole guilt thing of "i'm sorry I wasn't there" Cause all you can say is "that's okay, you're here now", what else can you do?
papa was a rolling stone. wherever he laid his hat was home.
the rest of my family didn't fare so well. brother is a recluse hermit with his stack of guns. sister is angry and unproductive. I love them both, but it's how they were raised, what they learned. The half-brother been in and out of prison. all the cousins in the system now up north. I'm the only married, only college grad, only one without drug/alcohol problem. but it's an awesome lesson for my kids/nephews/nieces... you CAN break the shit cycle of drugs, crime and laziness. You CAN.
