Biologically there are two parents - the mother and the father.
Always worth promoting that truth, so deem this to be a big +1 from me ... even though I've never met either of mine wot with being an adoptee and all.
... that there's the prime difference between sophistry and truth.
Feel free to go back and re-craft.

I thought that you said you were not involved in his life for some of the early years?
Indeed I have shared things like not being around for his first birthday due to being over Cantberra on travel allowance for 6 weeks @ a time, etc, etc.
Doing the "work away from home" thang wot pollies, the military, resources workers, police, etc etc etc do and all that.
In fact, here is a photo from 1993 to break your hearts ... look how the little tyke is so obviously missing his daddy who is busy 4000km away earning the mortgage payments among other things.
He's missing me so much that he doesn't even see the cake or the strange orange glowing thing on top of it.


... and judging by the similarly ignored candles and forlorn look on his face, it would seem he is still missing me in 1995, yes ?

... cept ex and I had actually obtained our 5 acres in York by the time that particular happy snap had been taken and we were starting to put together our plans for owner building our new home upon it ... and the very same 5 acres he enjoyed having his 21st the other month.
In fact, here's another happy snap from 1995 ...

And yes having Grandparents involved is fantastic ... Ideally, two happy well adjusted parents is a good thing ... As mentioned, having grandparents around is brilliant.
That's another big +1 from me on the Grandparents thing. I also take my hat off to all those wonderful women out there who, albeit with the help of grandparents, are busy raising great kids while their husbands are oh so far away from home busy doing the bread-winning as they serve their country/nation in oh so many ways ... ways that range from taking up arms to defend our country through to taking up dynamite and bulldozers to dig up our country through to taking up comcars and travel allowance to hang out in Cantberra to argue government policy on behalf of local constituents through to simply desgining and writing software that make it easier if not more efficent for the beaucrazy to give other people's money away.
Mmmmm, it just wouldn't do to have such Atlas's to shrug from such service and duty ... we've just got to think of the children, yes ?


regarDS
PS: This episode of "sophistry and truth" was brought to you by the letters "H" and "A".

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