The absentee father is a crisis which crosses all ethnic boundaries. For too long many of us have neglected our obligations to our children. One of the causes is poor decision making resulting in everything from addiction, incarceration, to failure to stepping up to the plate. No reason is forgivable as the ultimate victim is the child. It's time to make an attempt to rectify this behavior by establishing or reestablishing relationships with our children. The "Let's Talk About Me" and "The Real Victim" sections specifically look at my complete failure as a father. The most important part of the document to me is called "Letters from My Children" which was suggested by Aleshia Anderson. I reached out to each child and asked them to discuss our lives before I became actively involved and afterwards. They all responded and I left it unedited. If one father can gather from this document it's time to make an attempt to reconnect with their child it will be well worth putting it together.