Why did Ponette's dad not raise her?

I'm in the USA and it does not seem that odd to me, personally. Just a couple generations ago, people with children, especially men, often remarried quickly when their spouse died - almost solely for the purpose of having someone take care of the children (or, provide the money to the household in the cases of women remarrying quickly).

I have a cousin who is the only child of divorced parents. She lived with her single mother until her mother died (when my cousin was about 5 years old). My uncle went out-of-state to get her and she moved in with our grandmother, almost immediately. He didn't travel for work and did not have a job that required extraordinary hours either. He (and his mother) just felt that the child would be better suited in an environment with a female role-model. I don't know if this would have been handled differently if my uncle had a son though.

I'm from Generation X and my parents and in-laws still believe in the "traditional gender roles" wholeheartedly. Historically speaking, it's a very, very "new" concept that fathers can be stay-at-home parents while the wife provides the family financial support.

I got the impression that he had never been very present in her life. Maybe the parents were separated (it seemed that way because he didn't act like a grieving husband) and he didn't live close. And yes, I assume he had to leave for work. It does seem very bad form to leave your young daughter after her mum's death, which is why I assume the aunt had more of a relationship with her anyay.


I’ll be waiting, with a gun and a pack of sandwiches.