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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A divorced dad was left feeling emotional after discovering the early Father's Day gift his daughter left for him before going to her mom's.
Shane Nadeau, 38, from Massachusetts, currently shares custody of his 7-year-old daughter, Isabella, with his ex-wife. "It's just me and her that live together here in Charlton," Nadeau told Newsweek. "She lives with her mother on alternating weeks."
Co-parenting is an increasingly common reality for millions of moms and dads in the U.S. According to a study published in the journal Demographic Research in 2022, the number of divorces that resulted in joint custody in the U.S. went from 13 percent back in 1985 to 34 percent in the early 2010s.
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It's an arrangement that seems to be working for Nadeau and his family right now, judging by the surprise Isabella left him: a card thanking him for being "The best dad I could wish for."
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"I discovered the card when I was going through her backpack last weekend," Nadeau said. "I was overcome with emotion when I opened it, and made me so happy to know that she is truly happy to have me as a parent."
In the card, which includes a series of drawings of Isabella and Nadeau, his daughter wrote: "I love you so much and thank you for taking care of me."
Parenting is not easy and every mom and dad faces their fair share of challenges. That's what made the card so special to Nadeau.
"I struggle with bills like most people, and I think every struggling parent occasionally asks themselves, 'Am I doing a good job? Does my kid appreciate and understand everything I do for them?' This card was sort of a pat on the back, telling me 'you're doing just fine. She's happy.'"
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Isabella also wrote: "I love all the memories that we make and it gets better and better."
Nadeau said that Isabella has been known to surprise him from time to time. "She's very thoughtful of other people's feelings," he said. "One time, I told her about a cat I had before she was born, named Smudge, that ran away. The next day, she gave me a card with a picture of a cat, saying, 'Sorry for Smudge.'"
Eager to share her sweet surprise with others, Nadeau posted a slideshow of the card to Reddit under the handle u/Frantik508. It's been upvoted over 8,000 times with Redditors full of praise for her efforts.
"Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. My 6-year-old made me something similar before she went back to her mum's last week as well," one wrote. "You can't buy that or demand it. That's blood, sweat and tears. And a lot of love."
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"Just wow," a second commented. "This genuinely made me tear up, and I am so happy that you two share such a beautiful bond. You're doing a wonderful job." Another, meanwhile, joked: "Keep that letter for when you need some affirmation when she's a teen."
Reflecting on the post's viral success, Nadeau said he isn't surprised to see the note get a reaction. "I shared it online because I knew it was special," he said. "It made me smile, and I knew that it would make other people smile."
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