So, I've lived with my single father for my entire life. He's absolutely great, even if he doesn't know what he's doing with two daughters sometimes. I love my dad to death.

My mother, who is a methamphetamine addict who is currently in prison, has custody of my younger sister. Because my father has visitation, he's always been close to her. My father is on no form of government assistance and occasionally struggles with our finances, his past, and his personal demons. Currently, he's caring for both my sister and myself, assuring that our grades are high, keeping food on the table, keeping bills paid, and all without a nickel to spare.

And he's still supposed to be paying child support.

She punched him three times in the face and called the police, claiming that he held her face in the toilet until she passed out. He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, because there was no evidence to prove that he did anything. He held his face in a toilet, the toilet he allegedly attempted to kill her in, to prove that there would be bruises that were not present on my mother. He spent the night in jail anyway.

He's still keeping his head up and taking care of us. He doesn't talk down about our mother to us.

She tried to claim that he had no relationship with my sister when he fought for his visitation rights in court. This was while she refused to let him see the kid. He had been seeing her, because my drug addict mother always pushed my sister onto my great aunt and grandmother. They let him see my sister and took photos of him with her. This is the only reason that he won his visitation rights at all.

"Ma'am, I'm sure you're an excellent mother," said the judge, despite knowing that she was neglectful and knowing of her past.

You know who kept fighting to make sure that his two kids had a stable and safe home, free of drugs, away from harm? My father.

My mother, in my lifetime, has never been there. She's lived between various men and when I did see her, she was neck-deep in withdrawal, cursing and shouting. Now, she's in prison.

My single father has been the best parent that I could've asked for. I love him so, so much.

Gentlemen, don't let anything deter you from being in your childrens' lives. You can be the best parent that they ever had.