Illinois Mother Details How Her Son’s Father Stopped Showing Up After Another Baby, Missed Football Games, Wouldn’t Pay $35 For Basketball, And Left Her To Do It All

Holidays without a complete family often feel empty!

December 25, 2026

This article was last updated by Alisha Shrestha on December 25, 2026

Cecilia Genevieve Mendoza, an Illinois mother, shared an emotional Facebook post describing her struggles with co-parenting as her childrens father stopped showing up.

In her post, Mendoza explains how the father of her son, Mateo, was present in the child’s life for years.

However, in recent times, he gradually disappeared after having another baby with a different partner.

Illinois Mother Shares Her Struggle of Co-Parenting as Her Child’s Father Stops Showing Up and Misses the Football Game!

In the post, Mendoza begins her struggle by saying she rarely speaks negatively about her children’s fathers or about being a mother.

However, after months of disappointment, she felt compelled to speak out.

According to her, Mateo’s father, Devonte, had been involved for about five years before becoming distant.

She states that there was no major conflict between them and that she even expressed happiness for him and his new family, encouraging Mateo to build a bond with his new sibling.

Despite this, Mendoza claims the father stopped showing consistent care and support.

She says he does not pay child support and rarely helps financially, even when asked.

One moment that stood out to her was when Mateo asked if his father could send money for a Happy Meal.

Mendoza says the request was denied, with the explanation that the money was needed for the father’s other child.

In the post, she also mentions that Mateo started school this year and joined football for the first time.

Mendoza says his father promised to attend at least one football game, but never showed up.

Later, when Mateo signed up for basketball, the father allegedly agreed to pay the $35 registration fee.

According to Mendoza, that payment never came, leaving her to cover the cost herself, along with shoes, socks, and arm sleeves, while she scraped together spare change to buy her son a meal.

Mendoza stresses that she has never limited contact between Mateo and his father.

She says Mateo has full access through visits, calls, and messages, but the effort is not returned.

At the end, Mendoza expresses guilt for her children having to experience this absence, while also thanking those who treat all her children equally.

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Nishan Dahal writes sports with a human touch, covering breaking news, athlete lives, and the stories that stats can't tell. Nishan believes every athlete has a story worth telling. With the goal of bringing those stories to life with honesty, heart, and a touch of curiosity, he shares his insights through PlayerBio.

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