Patton Oswalt penned an essay about life as a single father, and our hearts are breaking for him
Ever since we heard that Patton Oswalt’s wife Michelle McNamara passed away unexpectedly in her sleep, we’ve been grieving for his family — especially their daughter Alice, who is just 7-years-old.
As for Oswalt, he’s been thrown into life as a single dad without any warning, and we can’t imagine how overwhelming and difficult that would be. But continually open about his experience, Oswalt penned a moving letter for GQ about his new life.
One word of warning…Patton Oswalt’s Year of Magical Parenting (aptly named after Joan Didion’s famous memoir about love and grief, The Year of Magical Thinking) will break your heart. It’s also uplifting though, characterized by Patton’s signature sense of humor.
"This is my first time being a single father. I've missed forms for school. I've forgotten to stock the fridge with food she likes. I've run out of socks for her. I've run out of socks for me. It sucked and it was a hassle every time, but the world kept turning. I said, “Whoops, my bad, and fixed it and kept stumbling forward."
With some trial and error, it seems that Oswalt is learning how to take care of Alice (and in turn, himself) in every facet of her life. Most importantly, he didn’t lock himself into a corner and try to do this huge task alone.
“Now I know where to buy the socks she likes,” he wrote. “I asked two parents at her school to help me with forms and scheduling. I’m getting good at sniffing out weekend activities and scheduling playdates and navigating time and the city to get her and myself where we need to go every day. I work a creative job, but I live a practical life. If I can persuade a comedy club full of indifferent drunks to like me, I can have my daughter ready for soccer on a Saturday morning.”
Beautiful piece by @pattonoswalt "Patton Oswalt's Year Of Magical Parenting" | GQ https://t.co/vPbvwnBdFd
— Cheryl Strayed (@CherylStrayed) December 3, 2016
Toward the end of the essay, Oswalt addresses the reader and emphasizes that if they themselves have any self-doubt about being “widowed or divorced, adopter or elder sibling,” they should take some assurance in the fact that he’s moving along as a single father and making it work.
"Spend an hour with me sometime," he wrote. "I can't drive stick. I can't scramble an egg. I can't ice-skate. But I'm doing this. Being a father. I'm in charge of another human being. So you can do this. I promise."
My awesome @pattonoswalt weekend: beautifully moving GQ article and more than an hour of comedy in Raleigh. Thanks, Patton, love you much.
— Mattinson (@MScottMattinson) December 4, 2016
We applaud how open and honest Oswalt is about this struggle and journey, because we’re certain that they will help others going through something similar feel so much less alone.
And of course, his fans support him to the moon and back.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/799601967177678848
Also, we’re looking forward to receiving his comedy gifts in the new animated movie Nerdland with Paul Rudd! Laughter is the best medicine, so keep it coming. Love you Patton.
H/T: Uproxx
