My dad.
If I do something he doesn’t approve of for whatever reason, he blanks me totally for several days/sometimes a fortnight .
He disappeared for 20 years - left in my childhood and didn’t contact me again for a very long time . When he eventually did he had no idea how old I was, didn’t know my birthday, and spent the entire time looking at his phone .
We normally talk every couple of days, but if I make a mistake I’m ignored altogether and then told later that I was deliberately ignored because he’s disappointed/angry .
My friend said this is a man who doesn’t love me at all - and said the silent treatment isn’t a normal thing to do . Part of me wondered for years if it’s just what parents do when they’re angry .
He’s previously made me feel downright scared as he shares details of his sex life, has asked me about mine in turn . I’m not sure if that’s just ignorance/not realising what he’s saying .
He does hand over cash at times and he can be nice . So I owe him to try I think .
I have a lot of social work papers/assessments from early childhood in which I refer to him as his first name, not dad, and drawings that clearly show I was witness to domestic violence . I remember hiding and feeling frightened and I remember driving to secluded spots where things used to happen in the car .
But I still want my dad’s approval for some stupid reason and I’m scared that I haven’t got it, that I’m a failure, and I’m so uncomfortable and scared of what the repercussions will be for me each time, when he does contact me .
What can I do? I’m scared to walk away .