Irish, I think honestly facing the abandonment and recovering is key to moving on to a productive life... Check out Susan Anderson's books. They are brilliant in terms of dealing with this sort of parental abandonment. I've given my daughters some of the age appropriate questions in her workbooks.
"You know, it's times like these when I realize what a superhero I am." Tony Stark/Iron Man
“Focus on what you can do, then do it with all your heart.” Lois Wilson
