Dad Rushed to His Ex’s House After He Received a Text from His Daughter Saying “Daddy Help”

When parents split up, children bear a significant part of the impact from the fallout. Co-parenting is one aspect, and most of the time, there are more downs than ups before parents get the hang of it.

There are several struggles that you must face if you’re forced to co-parent. There’s an imbalance, inconsistent communication, and a lack of cooperation.

The last issue makes everything else even harder. If there’s insufficient communication between either or both parties, then there’s no way the process can develop enough to be successful.

As a parent, you wouldn’t want your child to suffer as a consequence of your decisions. You’d try to reassure them that whenever they need you, you’ll be there for them.

That’s how this Redditor feels about his daughter. He recounted that he’s been separated from his ex since their child was two years old, and she is now thirteen.

They’ve always had fair custody over her, but they’ve run into a problem. OP gave his daughter a phone for emergencies, and he said that she’s been responsible with it.

Whenever his daughter was with her mom, she would always send a goodnight text to OP. However, one time she didn't, which made OP suspicious, and his concern skyrocketed when he received a text saying, “Daddy help.”

OP’s question is whether he is really the TA in this situation

aitadaig

This is their current situation as co-parents

aitadaig

OP wanted some form of communication with his daughter and something she could use for emergencies, so he gave her a phone

aitadaig

Things went on as usual, and she sent a couple of texts to OP, but then there was radio silence

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At first, OP brushed it off, but when he tried texting his ex-wife, there was no reply either. He was getting worried and freaked out even more when he received a text from his daughter saying, “Daddy help,” followed by nothing.

aitadaig

When OP rushed to his ex’s house, his daughter ran up to him, asking him to take her home.

aitadaig

The stepdad was angry that OP was there, even though it wasn’t his time to pick up their daughter yet.

aitadaig

It turned out that they had an electronics detox that upset the daughter, and she was also being picked on by her stepbrother for it.

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OP explained to his ex that they had no right to lock up her phone since it was his property. They could at least allow her to communicate with OP at night.

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His ex apologized but still stood by what her husband wanted.

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OP went home with his daughter, but when his parents found out about the situation, they advised him to trust his ex's judgment.

aitadaig

It made sense why OP switched to protective dad mode.

Decent_Sky_9880

And the responses from Redditors provided reassurance for OP.

aitadaig

It’s not just OP who drops everything to be there for their family when they need it.

4U2NV1981

What OP did was not an overreaction, according to this Redditor...

brxtn-petal

It was a normal response for a parent who believes their child is in trouble.

brxtn-petal

It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult; great parenting involves a lot of understanding.

bloblobbermain

OP isn’t a mind reader to know that the detox is ongoing at his ex’s house.

LilBabyADHD

Imagine knowing someone who constantly updates you, and then they go silent without explanation; that would freak you out.

xdragonteethstory

Even as adults, we often consider who we are affecting, especially those who are close to us.

Silentlybroken

If you were the parent who received the kind of text that OP did, it would raise your heart rate.

AccuratePenalty6728

This is from a Redditor who has seen the worst outcomes of what silence can do to children.

Blooming_Heather

There were many people in the comments who reassured OP that he had the right reaction when it came to getting his daughter. He wasn’t informed and would have assumed all kinds of things unless he knew for sure that his daughter was fine.

As a parent, your job is never done. You strive to ensure that your child is okay, and if you can protect them, you would.