CINCINNATI — A father of eight who was behind bars is finally getting to celebrate father’s day with his kids this year. 

What You Need To Know

  • This is Charles Boston's first Father's Day out of prison

  • Boston, a father of eight, has been in prison for five years

  • He's trying to turn his life around and rebuild relationships with his son and daughters this Father's Day

Just going in the closet to get a t-shirt brings Charles Boston to tears. The shirt shows the pictures of his son and daughters with the words 'proud father of eight' on it. The shirt was his Father's Day gift from them. 

“They said 'I love you daddy' and I cried for about 10 minutes,” said Boston.

He’s missed the last five Father’s Days with them.

“That kills me every, every, every holiday,” said Boston.

He says it’s all because he got into a fight and made a split-second decision.

“Everything just flashed, I don’t know what happened, they say he moved, I pulled a gun and shot him three times,” said Boston.

He ended up in prison for five years.

"I lost five years, I had babies, I got grandsons that’s 19, 20, I got great-grandkids, two of them, and then I got a baby girl that grew up without me,” said Boston. 

“I'm not mad about my life, I’m mad about it deprived my kids,” said Boston.

According to the most recent research from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, at least three-quarters of Ohio’s state prison inmates surveyed have at least one child they left behind. 

It's the reason Boston is turning his life around now. 

He’s been out less than a year, found work, a place to stay in Cincinnati, and is trying to build back what he lost with his kids on his first Father’s Day since he’s been out to be a father again. 

“This (the kids) is my world, the rest of my life, this is what I’m living for,” said Boston.