My Son Never Wants to Meet His Father, and I Celebrate That Life Choice
Sometimes, for fathers who abandon their children, there’s no coming back
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
In my first book, Confessions of a Video Vixen, I graphically chronicled a four-year abusive relationship with my son’s biological father, Nathaniel, professionally known as Kool G Rap, one of hip-hop’s most formidable artists of yesteryear. There’s no time to go through the whole sordid affair, so for context, here are the CliffsNotes.
When I met Nathaniel in Arizona in 1995, I was just 17 years old; he was 10 years my senior. In 1998, we had a son together. By the following year, our relationship had ended. In December 1999, I left my son with his father while I went to Los Angeles and secured a home for the baby and me. One month later, as my son turned two, I brought our baby back to L.A., where we lived for the next 21 years.
During our time in Los Angeles, my son received no support from his father, financial or otherwise, causing us to depend on welfare through our early years in California. By the time my child was seven, I’d started my career as an author — thankfully, with my first book selling more than a…
