The first 3 years we got along very well. We established a strong bond. She had never had a father figure in her life, and I believe she looked to me to fill that void.
The next 4 years were so-so. Things had changed with her dad (W's XH). He had become unreliable in terms of child support and visitation. He frequently gave W a very hard time over these matters. This strained the relationship between all of us. SD had overheard several conversations between W and XH...along with conversations between W and myself. The conversations were centered around XH's attitude and actions. This put SD on the defensive a lot. She felt like she had done something wrong.
After that 4 year period, SD went to college. Her and I gradually got back to a very good spot within a year or so. Our relationship continued to get better and really flourished in the last few years. We were getting along better than ever until this past Summer.
