Her response is filled with fabrications, half truths, and non-sequiturs.

Katie still lives in a small house with two brothers, 4 kids, herself, and both of her parents. Sure she has a support network, I don’t dispute that. The implication that I do not have a support network in Marietta is complete fabrication. In addition to niece, two sisters, and an abled body father, I have many friends who would assist me if needed.

I agree with the set up of calls. There was one night where I did text and call obsessively, I regret my actions. The missed calls were always due to miscommunication or her simply not answering the phone.

Her use of “safe and loving” is questionable. If that were true, they’d have a clean house, wouldn’t have the swat team showing up, having a fugitive from the law brother in the presence of our children, attendance and performance at school would be up to expectation.

It’s nice she’s concerned for my safety, but she need not be. She supplied evidence herself that when I feel unsafe, I go to a safe place, whether that be someone from my support network or to the hospital. This is healthy behavior. She greatly exaggerates her jobs here blaming every termination on me. She was on assisted living in Ohio and had free medical care she was free to use at any time (and did so). This also has nothing to do with anything.

“Lack of awareness” and “blasé approach” are both fabrication and not grounded at all in reality. The fact that Amanda has not been diagnosed does not mean she’s free from mental illness; indeed the warning signs are present. She states later she had to console Amanda for many hours when I asked Amanda if she preferred California to Ohio. That is not the behavior of a well balanced and grounded human being. The fact that she was triggered by the question at all shows she needs therapy and the fact that she didn’t know how to cope means she’s immature with coping skills. My only diagnosis is depression. Though I probably do have borderline personality disorder, I’m being treated for depression. I have never claimed to be a Narcissist or “a slew of ongoing diagnoses”, that is complete fabrication. Her assertion that I do not have empathy is an absolute falsehood. She claims that she was the sole parent in the relationship. This is also fabrication.

Amanda absolutely needs pushed to excel. Katie does not do “gentle reminders”, she does all out shouting and punishment.

Katie can be offended all she wants, I’m still dubious on her involvement and belief in the faith. She confessed (blaming it on me) that she “feels nothing” at Mass. To answer the question she poses, “How can someone [change] in just a month”, it’s pretty easy. I celebrate breakthroughs in therapy monthly, sometimes weekly. A month is a long time.

The school that Katie refers to is in fact in Sandusky, Ohio and not Marietta, Ohio. We had no real issues with Saint Mary’s School in Marietta. Her assertion that I do not speak to the children is another absolute falsehood. As far as computer use and phone, we were both guilty of this with her logging as much if not more screen time than I had.

The next paragraph  regarding my mental health is dubious at best. Amanda’s safety is absolute. Despite Katie’s claims otherwise, there’s been one suicide attempt in the last year. I do not deny that I’ve had suicidal ideation, but in each of these cases, I used coping skills and my support network to overcome this. She supplies an example of this when I posted I was seeking a safe space on Facebook. This is a healthy and normal coping skill. The claim that I do not care for myself by not eating and doing laundry is laughable. Her statement that she left the jobs because of the children’s safety is invention on her part. Not once did she voice safety concerns when the children were in my care. If she had concerns, she should have contacted CPS. When other people contacted CPS, it was because of Katie, not because of me. She left those jobs for various reasons, including not liking the job, because I started working, and yes, me at times asking her to quit.

As Katie states in her final sentence here, this is simply her opinion. I have no idea what she means when she suggests Amanda would be in a caretaker role under my care. The reality is, I am the parent and will parent as a parent, not as a dependent or as a friend. This was true when we were together and remains true today.

She worries if something happened, what would happen to Amanda? This is a valid concern because emergencies do happen. Amanda would stay with my able bodied father, one of my sisters, my niece, or a close trustworthy friend. I can assure you that I’m completely capable and willing to buy feminine products (where allowed by law, of course). Katie made friends with one set of parents and that was because they had booze. Amanda will sleep in her bedroom which is already set up with everything she needs to thrive. Regarding privacy, the more appropriate concern is what is Amanda doing now for sleeping situation?

Katie wants me to move to California. It’s equally possible for her to move to Ohio but she refuses. I’ve already addressed my mental health. Yes, I have mental illness. It’s being treated successfully.

If Amanda is afraid of me, it’s because her mother made her that way, which she admits to when saying “tell the truth when possible.” Her truth, as we’ve seen above, is not based in reality but in her imagination. The children fearing me was never a possibility in the past.

Asking to decline my visitation is egregious. She claims it took hours to comfort Amanda when I asked if she preferred California over Ohio. Taking advice from Katie would be similar to a cockroach wishing Raid insecticide were more abundant.

The first sentence to “foster a one sided relationship” with me shows how bitter she is and has no bearing on anything other than this. She exaggerates my alcohol use (which I would be willing to stop completely), my mania is extremely rare and when it does happen, the only consequence is a cleaner house. My depression is now well controlled. She has no reason to to say that her deciding the schedule is pivotal other than her bitterness.

She states the screen shots, which she got from obsessing over my facebook account despite being blocked, are examples of the torment and misery she survives. If that is true, she lives a truly blessed and privileged life. I hope she does show more text messages as I always took the high road where she did not, replying usually with contempt and insult.

Post 1: asking for encouragement. Again, this is a healthy and valid coping mechanism and that specific post achieved the goal of having life and purpose.

Post 2: Simply using social media as a journal to help cope. There are times where I do feel hopeless. In these times, I use one of the many healthy coping skills I’ve learned from a year in therapy, such as asking friends for encouragement.

Post 2.2 Bragging about having a great and effective healthcare team. Guilty as implied.

Post 3: Suicidal ideation without a plan. Everyone has some suicidal ideation. As I stated, the goal is to get the depression under control, which I have done.

Post 4: Asking for a safe space. Again, perfectly healthy and normal coping mechanism.

Post 4.2 I had a bad week, that happens to everyone. It’s not particularly noteworthy.

Post 5: I have depression. I have admitted such. More Facebook as a journal. Depression feels a certain unpleasant way and the post discusses that. I assure everyone that therapy is going incredibly well and it’s only natural to question one’s faith. She points to my alcohol use again which is once again exaggerated. Just because some days it feels like things aren’t getting better, they are. I’ve pushed through it and am in a great place now.

Post 6. Katie blocked my number on Amanda’s phone to prevent me from talking to her (out of spite, rather than a valid reason). Katie stated that she’d unblock me and then, either with invention or delusion, choose not to unblock me claiming Amanda was afraid of getting triggered. That wouldn’t happen in a normal individual. I stand by what I wrote; Amanda is of an age where she can regulate her emotions and make informed decisions based on fact. This is an example of saying that Amanda needs pushed at times. Katie’s response is completely unhinged, inappropriate, and mean spirited filled with bitterness. The text I sent was not sexist. Not insulting. There’s nothing unreasonable about a father being allowed access to his daughter.

She intentionally left out the posts where I talk about my mental health progress and excelling at therapy. She omitted her living situation and her undiagnosed mental health issues (besides high anxiety). She omitted visits from CPS and her arrest for child endangerment and neglect. The subjects she did write about are either fabrications, exaggerations, or have no bearing on the case.