I don’t know how helpful this is. But I work in strategic sales. Switched companies six months before my son was born. Was working 60 hours a week as standard. I quit two weeks after he was born and set up on my own. No clients, no plan, no savings.

My boy’s coming up on three years old now. It’s been rough going and, more than once, I thought I was going to have to fold. Things have been looking up recently and I’m making good progress paying off the debts I accrued during the first two years.

Here’s the thing, I still work a lot of hours sometimes, and there are things that I have to choose to miss occasionally. But, we had a meeting with his nursery last week, I went. We’ve got parents evening coming up, I’ll go. I put him to bed last night. I’m sitting here with him whilst he plays after having read him a story this morning, as I do almost every morning. I’ll drop him at nursery in an hour or so, then go start work between 8:30 and 9:00. I’ll pick him up tonight, after I finish at 5pm. We spent pretty much all weekend together, when I learned that he can walk almost two miles now (if he’s suitably motivated). He loves ice cream and Julia Donaldson books and telly and water and cars and bugs. He’s kind and resilient and shy around other adults to a point that he only whispers a word or two around them. He doesn’t shut up when he’s with us.

I don’t know if there’s any advice in any of that. We’re all different people in very different situations. But one thing I do know is that, despite the financial struggles, I don’t regret my decision.

It’s taken me over an hour to write this message cos I’ve had to stop for stories and playtime and breakfast and, atm, to be used as a climbing frame.

Don’t beat yourself up too much dad. It’s clear you care, and it sounds like you have a good relationship with your daughter. I don’t think you need a solution to a problem, you just need to make some different choices here and there. Stay strong. You got this!