I became a father at 17. I had no roadmap, no real plan—just a determination to figure things out as I went. Somehow, I did. And in the process, I raised the most remarkable daughter I have ever known. So when two police officers showed up at my door on the night of her graduation and asked if I had any idea what my daughter had been doing… I was completely unprepared for what came next.
I was 17 when my daughter, Ainsley, came into the world. Her mom and I were one of those high school couples who believed in “forever.” But reality caught up with us fast. We split up before Ainsley could even say “Daddy.”
When my girlfriend got pregnant, I didn’t run. I got a job at a hardware store, kept going to school, and told myself I’d figure everything else out somehow. And, honestly… I did.