Why is this man being celebrated?

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8rz38jr50go

so when his child was 8 years old he decided to leave the country and undertake a 28 year walk around the world, setting himself a rule that he couldn’t come back to the UK until he’d completed it, and we’ve celebrating him why?

If this is the case it sounds like she moved knowing he would not be able to live there, and hence not have a relationship with his son.

We don’t know why she did this.

As Lindsey Graham said, the greatest evil is to judge someone without first hearing their story. I don’t know either parent’s story so I am not going to judge.

😂 😂

So if a woman does one achievement are people going to investigate her private life to see if it is suitable to mean the achievement can be celebrated or not?

Qho get to approve what is acceptable or not?

I don't see the connection between what he did and whatever his private life had in it

So he couldn't see his son in NI because he was a paratrooper, so he left his job as a paratrooper to walk around the world.

Couldn't he have left his job to be able to see his son?

Would an ex paratrooper be able to go to NI?

I wonder if his ex deliberately chose to live somewhere he couldn't go, or if it was just unfortunate circumstances.

YANBU

hope the son tells him to piss off

An extreme case of men and their sodding hobbies…

I've lived a million men's dreams. A lot of people would love to walk away from home and just keep going.

Terribly sad, especially when you decided to bring a child into the world.

He said he survived on food scraps and donations. So begging.

Zero respect from me.

Self-indulgent bollocks.

The travelling and being always on the move is an obvious way to avoid responsibilities of everyday life. Mental health problems may be a factor. Maybe he couldn't cope and this was his way of justifying what he did. He framed it as a 'challenge'.

His son may have benefited from this man not being around for all we know. He possibly wasn't a good father and that is why his ex moved to NI.

That is a serious strop he has thrown there. Also extremely arrogant “family will always be there”. All one way for him isn’t it. Serious main character energy as the kids say.

His child could have visited him in the UK, short hop on the plane from Belfast to UK. Hopefully his book makes money so he doesn't expect to live on the tax payers and he can pay backdated child support.

Yes. I’d buy her book over his.

Being a serving paratrooper or an ex paratrooper wouldn’t make a difference.

Some people just don’t give a shit about their kids, he’s one. But yeah he walked a long way. Great for him. Perhaps his child can understand, perhaps not. I suppose you do t miss what you’ve never really had, even when it’s a parent.

Exactly.

‘The kindness of strangers’ and then sponsorship and a book deal.

It’s a positive article and gives him free exposure. There is no criticism of him as a father. There is no challenge of him.

Being from.northeen Ireland and 43 years old this is a nonsense, there were plenty of ex soldiers, people living peacefully, particularly a soldier in a loyalist area would be grand. He left his job anyway.

If his wife felt he wouldn't follow her to northern Ireland I wonder how awful he was for her to ale that step..

Thirdly, some men will do literally anything to get out of parenting

I saw a story recently of a man heading off to run an ultra marathon to raise money for the nicu that he's just brought his newborn home from. If my husband had done that it would have been instant divorce.

The article also says he only spent about 15 years actually walking often retreating to Mexico where Costa are low for months at a time to gather strength. What an absolute pointless waste of a lifetime.

Completely. Such entitlement.

I bet he was abusive and Ireland was an escape route. I’d bet a good chunk of money on it. I know you can’t know for sure based on the information available but my gut feeling on it is so strong.

How on earth did he manage to swim the channel with that cart? And if it went in a boat is that not breaking his no use of transport rule??

Yes. I know a woman whose child died - it was such a tragedy. Her (now ex) husband chose to pump all his time and energy into doing sponsored events to raise money for research into the condition. Was hailed a hero and applauded. Meanwhile his wife and remaining children were pretty much abandoned by him and left to grieve without his support.

I heard about this guy a couple of months ago and thought the same thing about his child. You just have to think about in what circumstances can someone afford to do this kind of thing/what kind of life are they living?

So has the child come and said anything or are people just making up what they want?

Indeed, when I see an article like that, I don't read it. It is not difficult to avoid. I am vaguely aware of the above case, but have no interest in reading about it.