This is a sharp example of emotional manipulation cloaked in sentimentality — the kind that quietly weaponizes love to justify neglect, abuse, or absence. Simply stated it’s narcissistic parental manipulation.

When a father with a court-ordered No Contact order protecting his children from his behavior posts something like “Behind every strong dad is a kid’s hug that kept him from falling apart”, the message stops being poetic and starts being psychologically predatory.

It’s not about the child’s hug — it’s about the father’s need for validation.
It makes the child responsible for his emotional stability, guilt-tripping them into believing they hold the key to his wellbeing. That’s not love; that’s a burden disguised as devotion.

In reality, this kind of messaging directly mirrors what Dr. Rao described in his psychiatric report — Mark’s chronic inability to recognize the impact of his behavior on his children, his projection of responsibility onto them, and his resistance to accountability. It’s the same pattern that witnesses like Rob Peters documented: chaos, attention-seeking, and deflection wherever he goes.

Posts like this are not heartfelt.
They’re bait.
They’re carefully worded traps meant to elicit sympathy from followers while quietly reminding his estranged children that he’s “falling apart without them.”

But those children aren’t responsible for his collapse.
They’re recovering from it.