A Father Reads the Parenting Websites

“Single parent” is a polite term for “single
mother.” “Spouse” quickly becomes “he.”
If you search for “father” you’ll learn how
to get him involved, how he thinks, what
he feels about his kids (your kids), some
things he should know (print this article
and have him read it), maybe how to
find him and get him to pay his share,
what to tell the kids about him and what
you’ll need to do when they want to see him.

I don’t feel like I’m allowed here.
The word for reading the posts
on a message board without posting
is “lurking.” That is how I feel here.
I’m the one in the long coat. I sit
in the back with the same paper cup
that looks older every time I show.
I come in last and leave first. I’m not
sure I have the right address. But
I know I’m a parent. That’s what
the sign reads on the door and no one
has pointed me to a different room,
but every time I cough, the subject
seems to change.