Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Parents of adult children

Wondering how to stop worrying about your grown child? Speak to others in our Parents of Adult Children forum.

Absent father.

5 replies

Nellie22xox · 18/03/2022 15:17

I'm just looking for some insight from other folk.
What it is, is, my father who is 51 now (I'm his oldest at 30, and he has 9 other children) 5 of my brothers and sisters don't have anything to do with him. And the younger 4 live in his home.
Anyway, just recently his mum died, and he was obviously emotional about this. And called me while I was at work at 1am to call me derogatory names and shout at me. For absolutely no reason, I understood he was upset but I hardly know the man, and he hardly knows me.
He calls me occasionally when he is drunk and wants to have some sort of heart to heart.. Might I add that growing up he was quite mean to me and the courts ruled in my mums favour when I was 8 and I didn't have to have contact with him anymore..
Fast forward to my early teens and I moved down the road from him - unbeknownst to my mum.
So I tried to form some sort of relationship with him. Since then it has always been an awkward one, he regards himself highly and the women in his life are clearly not in the same league (ex wives and children included)
I had hard teenage years at home, my mum tried her best but she has an addictive personality and this was an issue for her. I ended up smoking pot when I was a teenager until I was around 19 and found it troubling to stop when I did but overcame that with no issues.
Anyway, the past 2 years have been an eye opener for me, I stopped smoking cigarettes, I don't drink alcohol unless it's a special occasion and I just go through day to day dedicating myself to my DS.
My father called me last night, again at 1am just as I was going to bed for another hour and a half conversation constantly talking about my mum who left him when I was 2. It's the same song he sings everytime he's drunk. I'm sick of it. I don't have any contact with my mum not since October 2020 because she attacked me and that was the last straw.
My father said to me last night he thinks I'm a 'girl' who is reaching out to him to form a relationship. When in actual fact this irritates me because I'm not a girl, I'm a 30 year old woman.
I am quite good at distancing myself from the ones who hurt me and find it much easier as I've got older.
What I'm trying to get at is, would you bother trying to form a relationship with a father like this, or would you just count your chickens and call it a day. I wouldn't be so bothered if he called when he was sober and had a normal conversation, but everytime it's heated on his end because he's intoxicated and feels he is best thing since sliced bread.
He's only met my DS once and that was when he was around 8 months old.
I'm supposed to be visiting on Sunday and I don't know if I should take my son there, he's mean to his small children who are all under 6.
Does anyone else have a parent like this and if so how did you approach the situation.. :/sorry if that's a lot of babbling on there's just so much more to the father daughter relationship that I feel I'm rambling on a bit.

OP posts:
mrstea301 · 18/03/2022 15:20

I'm not trying to be goady or anything but Why do you think you want a relationship with him? He sounds like quite a horrible person without many redeeming features. It sounds like you've really got your head screwed on and got your life together, what is it you think you need from him? It doesn't sound like he'll be able to give you what you want in a father-daughter relationship.

hidethetoaster · 18/03/2022 15:30

What would you get out of a relationship with him? At beck and call of his whim and moods, your self esteem battered and built up depending on whether he was feeling goat today?

Conversely, what would you get out of being in control of your own life and making a choice about him instead of him making a choice about you. See him for what he is. See yourself for what you are (and it's not a girl reaching out, how rude. He's just saying that to feed into his own fantasy of a father-daughter relationship he never had with you).

If his mum just died and it's bad timing that's not your problem. (Sorry if you're sad to lose your DGM, I'm just talking here about how your dad feels about it, which isn't your problem). Time to put your self first. Like he never did.

Nellie22xox · 18/03/2022 19:19

MRSTEA, I don't want this to come across in a bad way, but he offers to help me in some situations mainly financial. So for example after leaving my mother's house I was without my own home for 3 months. And when I finally got my own home it was bare inside. I saved up what I could from working part time and the only thing I couldn't afford was flooring through the whole house. It's only a small 2 up 2 down but I didn't have the funds necessary, he offered to help by paying 80% which inwas greatful for.
And I felt bad for asking but he gloats about what he earns and my maternal grandmother - who would have helped if she could suggested I ask my dad.
I wish I never because he mentions this every drunken phone call... I think your absolutely right. He can't give me what I'm looking for in a father daughter relationship and I know in my heart that I never want my DS to be introduced to him.
The last thing I am holding on to, is he said he can get me work around school hours when my truck license comes in. But the more Itthink about it the less I could care about asking him for help.

OP posts:
Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 18/03/2022 19:24

My dm left my df when I was a toddler. He flitted in and out of my life. He was no better as a df when I was a teenager or as a young dm myself. When he started letting my dc down I went nc. Been over 20 years.. Protect your dc op. Keep the man away.

Nellie22xox · 18/03/2022 19:27

Hidethetoaster
I couldn't agree more. When I spoke to him last night he was being very patronising and when I expressed 4 memories of my childhood when he was specifically cruel to me in front of my half brother and sisters he called me a f***g idiot... I explained that the things he said and did were damaging to a little girl and he just couldn't understand that.
To sum it up, I think I was expecting something that isn't ever going to materialise - like a calm, adult father daughter relationship. But the more I think about it, he only calls when he is drunk and honestly I can't stand being around drunks and it's always just me listening to him for the hours he goes on and on through the call.
My smaller half brother and sisters are 6 the twins that are 5 and the baby sister who is 4 years old. They are adorable little things and I feel saddened that I don't k ow any of my 9 brothers and sisters so I wanted to make an effort with the smaller ones, but honestly I can't bear the thought of being around my dad. He expects me on Sunday and already I am thinking of excuses to leave after a hour or two. He acts differently when he is sober in comparison, but the only contact I have is when he is intoxicated.
I didn't know my DGM, he stopped her from having contact when my mum left him, so there was never any kind of relationship with her, however a few months before she passed my dad was working away and was concerned for her care so asked me to pop and see her. I went to see her 4 times to make sure everything was okay - which it was, and he didn't even tell me where or when her funeral was to at least have some sort of goodbye.
The more I relay this, the more I think you have hit the nail on the head.
It's time to call it a day.
My own sanity and confidence is more important than his belligerent and narcissistic behaviour.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread