<![CDATA[This study examines how children experience and adapt to fatherlessness as a form of ambiguous relational loss. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design involving 10 children aged 9–14 years in Medan City, Indonesia, who were selected through purposive sampling. The researchers collected data through semi-structured interviews, nonparticipant observation, and field notes and analyzed the data thematically with the assistance of NVivo 12 Pro. The findings show that limited father involvement does not eliminate the emotional significance of fathers in children’s lives. Longing, sadness, and feelings of loss can intensify again through comparisons with peers, school activities, and family-related events. Reduced father involvement also prompts family relational reorganization through the redistribution of emotional support, caregiving, guidance, and practical assistance to mothers and extended family members. Children develop relational coping by sharing their feelings, seeking family support, interacting with peers, and maintaining communication with their fathers when contact remains possible. However, everyday adaptation does not end the experience of loss because social triggers can reactivate it. Theoretically, this study advances the concepts of social reactivation of loss and family relational reorganization and integrates them into a model of relationally mediated nonlinear adaptation. These findings suggest that fatherlessness is better understood as a relational and nonlinear process rather than merely as the physical absence of a father.]]>
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