Rose's words were comforting, and I was grateful that she understood my situation instead of making me feel worse about something I was already worried about. Even so, I didn't want to rely entirely on the hope that my daughters would eventually understand why I had been absent so often.
I wanted to give them actual memories of spending time with their father rather than expecting them to accept an explanation for why I hadn't been around. When they grew older, I wanted them to remember the times we had played together, and the little moments that might seem insignificant at the time but would eventually become precious memories.
I wanted to be someone they could recognize and rely on, not some random guy who appeared at home every now and then before disappearing again.
