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My dad cheated on my mom. A lot. From what I understand, there were a couple confirmed affairs when my sister and I were just an infant and a toddler—so he didn’t wait long to stray from my mom. Later, in my teen years, I would personally overhear a phone call of his that confirmed that he was at it again. And when I told my mom, she was upset not only because of this affair, but because it supported her belief that the affairs may have never stopped—who knows if my dad was ever even faithful for a year? You wonder why he got married in the first place. When the news came out, dark times followed. Today, I’m okay (thanks to plenty of therapy, meditation, and very good friends). But coming from a cheating father affects you forever. Here are things only women with unfaithful fathers understand.

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His guilt weighs heavily on you

Your dad never stops feeling guilty. Even long, long after the discussions and fighting surrounding the cheating are over, the guilt still lingers in the air, in every interaction. Your dad figuratively hangs his head low when he sees you. There is a hint of apology in his every word and it makes seeing him emotionally exhausting.

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You have to work extra hard to trust a man

You don’t get to just walk out into the world and enjoy dating the way others do. Dating isn’t easy for anyone, but there is an added—large—obstacle in the way for you. You have to do a lot of self-reflection, and even seek therapy, before you can just get to the base level where everyone else starts dating.

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You can almost envision any man cheating

If you use your imagination, you can envision any many cheating. You can even see the men who you think are some of the greatest, most honest men in the world doing it. Your imagination twists some of their character traits into negative ones—making them traits they could use to carry out an affair.

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You’re very protective of your mom

As if stepdads don’t have it rough enough, you are extra tough on them. Should your mom get into a new, serious relationship, you approach him looking for evidence that he could be unfaithful. He has an uphill battle in terms of developing a relationship with you.