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Barbara Wegner's avatar

I read your stuff, but I don't write often. It's difficult to see what a good father you are and think about what happened in my childhood. I was reminded, because of my EMDR therapy yesterday, of a moment when I kind of ran away (but only in an apartment building - not outside). I eventually went home because of learned helplessness, I realized nothing I could do would change anything. I was going to have to go to my dad's house for the weekend.

I was going to write here that it wasn't abusive, but I think it felt like neglect, and I should stop trying to minimize what I went through. It's just a different kind of abuse. It seems like that's a time when I should have been comforted, and maybe listened to, and maybe things could go differently. But I learned that it didn't matter how I felt, I just had to do it. I wish I had felt that kind of love you have for your children.

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Lloyd Douglas Cotner's avatar

Beautifully written. I’m new to SubStack and you’ve given me another option of sharing my writing. I humbly thank you.

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