Parenting

I've also never had a kid out of wedlock. For a long time, my mother wouldn't even let me see my dad. Then she decided she "couldn't control us anymore" (meaning I grabbed the belt out of her hand during a swing) and sent us to live with my dad. She disappeared for a while. It was hardest on my younger brother because he had always felt rejected by his natural parents and now was being rejected by his adopted mother.

All I can suggest is that you do your best to keep yourself in the picture with phone calls and Skype. You didn't specify if there's parental vitriol involved, but there's usually at least some resentment that kids will quickly pick up on. Good luck and hang in there. Communication is what's most important now, but try to shelter her from from your emotions and encourage her mother to do the same. Face it, her feelings are more important than either of yours. It may not feel that way most of the time, but they are.