I never met my paternal grandfather even though he lived into his 80s. He was widowed when his young wife died giving birth to their second child, a daughter. Shortly afterward, he fell in love with a woman who agreed to marry him but wanted nothing to do with his children.
My father was only two years old when his father left him and his younger sister with his parents. My father never saw his father again. His father never called, visited or checked on his children’s welfare. He didn’t provide money for their support even though his own parents were struggling to make ends meet.
My father was in his early 60s when he received a phone call from his father. It was the only time, as an adult, he heard his father’s voice. When the caller identified himself, my father hung up on him.
Some men and women walk away from their children when they divorce. It can’t be an easy decision. I don’t know how a parent could justify their actions to their child.