It is so clear to me that Rick just wants to be a normal, involved dad to Aiden. To do the kinds of things that parents do with their kids every day--play games with them, teach them things, take them places and show them the all the cool things in the world. Because he's far away, obviously his time with Aiden is limited. But even when he's in California, Aiden's mom is using the court system to prevent Aiden from spending time with his dad and so developing some kind of normal relationship with him. When Rick was in California in August, he got to see Aiden only four times--for a total of about five hours--in the 16 days he was there. Three of those visits were court ordered. Rick extended his stay in California for the sole purpose of getting more visits with Aiden after Aiden returned from a trip with his mother, hoping that she would be kind enough to grant visits that were not court ordered. She refused. No, strike that; she never even responded to Rick's pleas to see his child. She just ignored his calls. So Rick sat in his hotel room, while Aiden stayed at day care.
This is a recording of a call Rick made during that visit; he was visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific, and wanted to share that experience with his son.
Because of Aiden's mom, a little boy and his dad never got to spend that time together. That day, that chance to build their relationship, is gone forever. And that's what breaks my heart.
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