My son is really bothered by not having a dad, and I’m not sure how best to help him with it.
He often says things like, “I wish I had a dad,” or, “I wish I had a better dad.” The other day he was telling me a story about a boy and his dad, and when he’d finished he said, “Why can’t I do that, Mum?” I asked him why, and he just said, “Because I don’t have a dad.” It really got to me.
There aren’t any male family members in his life, so no grandad, uncle or anything like that. He has male teachers at school, but it’s obviously not the same. He’s also not into football or sports, so the usual suggestions about finding a male role model through a sports club don’t really apply.
Has anyone been through this? Did you find anything that helped? I’m not looking for people to tell me I’m enough or that mums can do everything dads can. I’m just wondering if anyone has experience of a child who really felt the absence of a father and how you handled it.