New Support Group and Network for Fatherless Sons called “Breaking the Cycle”

When a father decides not to be in their child’s life — whether a son or daughter — it can create serious psychological trauma and developmental challenges that can last a lifetime. Children who grow up without a father often carry feelings of rejection, anger, confusion, loneliness, and emotional pain into adulthood. I know this because I lived it myself.

I’m starting this petition because I want to create a support group for men and women who grew up with an absent parent, especially an absent father. From my own personal story, I know what those thoughts and feelings are like, and sometimes they are not pleasant thoughts. I know what it feels like to wonder why you were not important enough for your own father to stay in your life.

I was raised by my mother and grandparents because my father Allen Gugins decided to be absent almost my entire life. My parents were married for a short time, but the relationship ended, and my father disappeared from my life when I was very young. Our families even lived on the same street for a few years, only a few houses apart, yet he still made little to no effort to be part of my upbringing. And neither did my six uncles.

My father eventually got remarried, started a new family, exaggerated an injury so he could go on permanent disability, and put everything in his wife’s name to protect himself. He figured it out early how to play the game with lawyers and the courts and always thought about himself.  You can never be garnished if you’re on disability and you can never be sued if nothing‘s in your name. 

My mother and grandparents raised me the best they could, but growing up without a father left emotional scars that never fully healed. I watched other children grow up with their fathers while I struggled to understand why mine chose not to be there. As I got older, I realized how deeply abandonment can affect a child’s confidence, mental health, relationships, and sense of self-worth.

Years later, after my mother tragically passed away in 2005, my father still did not reach out to see how I was doing.  Even after the Barrie Police interviewed him in 2005 he still never asked how I was doing or offered any support. After years of encouragement from my grandmother, he finally agreed to meet me around 2011. But even then, it was difficult to build a relationship. Because he was constantly accompanied by his wife and when we did meet up and I never really got to meet him for who he truly is. I witnessed my father support and provide for his other two children financially and emotionally while I often felt forgotten and excluded from his life.

Although I do remember he did invite me out on two occasions with his wife and other children. once  I got an email at 5:30 in the morning, asking if I wanted to join them for a day trip in Niagara on the lake and another time, his wife and daughter took her annual trip to Jamaica. The house was empty, so he invited me out for a movie to go see fast and the furious, but those were the only two occasions.

Seeing him be present for them while being absent for me was not a good feeling. Watching him celebrate milestones with them while I was left out showed me how damaging abandonment can be for a child, even long into adulthood. These experiences affected me deeply, and I know I am not alone.

There are thousands of people out there who grew up with the same pain, confusion, and emotional struggles caused by an absent parent. Childhood trauma and abandonment issues are real, and society does not talk about this enough. Too many children grow up believing they were not wanted or not good enough because one parent chose not to be involved in their life.

This petition is about creating awareness, support, and accountability.

I believe fathers have a responsibility to be present in their children’s lives whenever possible. Even in difficult situations involving separation, conflict, or family disputes, children should not be abandoned emotionally. Unless there are serious circumstances preventing it, every child deserves love, effort, guidance, and support from both parents.

I want to start a support group where people can share their stories openly without judgment — a place where men and women who experienced abandonment can support one another, heal together, and raise awareness about how deeply this affects children.

I also want to educate young and new fathers about the importance of staying involved in their children’s lives. Too many people underestimate how much damage abandonment can cause. A child never forgets the parent who was missing.

If this message speaks to you, please sign this petition. Share your story. Send me an email. Let your voice be heard.

Together, we can start an important conversation, support those struggling with abandonment trauma, and help create positive change so future children do not have to grow up carrying the same pain.

Your story matters.

I would like to start a support group and a network called “BREAKING THE CYCLE”. If you are in support of this petition and have ideas for the support group, please email me at,

📧: letstalkaboutit1984@gmail.com