Joel became a parent right after he came out of school, with his wife leaving soon after. Since he was shouldered with the responsibilities of a parent at an early age, this meant that he had to make some sacrifices to accommodate his daughter. As a result, Joel didn't go to college and opted to use his school education to earn for himself and his daughter instead. The absence of Sarah's mother left Joel single-handedly raising Sarah. Despite that, the two still had a perfect-picture relation.