My father is much, much older than I am. I won’t give away his age here, but he was nearly 50 years old when he had me. That means he was past the age of retirement when I graduated high school (though that man will never retire), and he was developing grey hairs when I […]
Because of your father, you know exactly what you want in a man because you know exactly what you don’t want. The painful experience you had with your dad gave you a close-up look at what qualities you don’t want in a life partner. They’re unmistakable to you now.
Dads don’t like when people tell their daughters they’re beautiful or pretty rather than strong or smart. So they start paying more attention to how often men in the workplace tell women they look pretty, or call women “hon” or “sweetheart.”
Your dad has probably had an interesting life. And, even if it hasn’t been some novel-worthy story, his experiences will give you a great insight into his behaviors—perhaps some of his behaviors that upset you or confuse you. So, start asking your dad more questions. Listen more. Listening pretty much improves every relationship.
Dads have to watch their teenage and adolescent daughters date guys who, for all intents and purposes, are fine, but still have a lot to learn and will break their daughter's hearts. They know because they once were those guys.
You have to move on and have a relationship with your dad, but you never really forgive him. Things, between you and your father, will never be the way things are between a daughter and her faithful father.
An absentee father will affect a woman’s life, but his absence doesn’t have to define her life.