East Wrote:If I could go back in time and do it all over...I would have loved to know what I know now and be able to use if when I was your age...I could have avoided alot of stuff...
...meaning...you have a great opportunity to come to terms with your father and your relationship now and put it behind you and you will avoid "marrying him" in the future (that really sucks cuz you never know it is Daddy until MUCH later in the relationship)
My therapist many years ago told me when I first met her to pretend my parents were in front of me and visualize them both coming up and hugging me and telling me how much they loved me and approved of me and accepted me....how would that make me feel?
Well...I was annoyed by the question but I played along and visualized it...and I felt like I wanted to barf. Neither the hugs nor the "I love yous" were welcome and as far as the acceptance or approval...they can keep it because it was not mutual as I did not approve of them...I was repulsed....and then she told me...Why do you spend so much time trying to get something from them that you dont' even want? Damn..she was good...
So I had to backtrack and heal myself which means putting your feelings on the table and dealing with them...a very hard thing to do if you bury them.....yours are fresh and happeniing now so you have a wonderful opportunity.
So...do not wait to see where he lands with this issue...instead get in touch with how you feel and you might find you don't even care where he lands. My Dad was a bully too (without the anti gay stuff...he hated religion) and working on gaining his approval took up way too much of my time....dont' let your parents define you and sometimes separating from them emotionally is the nicest thing you can do for yourself....
To be quite honest, I never thought his opinions would hurt....
But I guess I thought wrong.
All I can say is, I was use to harsh comments and mean words from the time I was 9.
I've heard almost all the time how much of a disappointment I was or, how big of a failure I was.
I've heard how stupid I am, i've heard how meaningless my life is.
By the time I was 15, I thought I had completely separated my emotional feelings towards alot of things.
But I think when I started to come out to my friends and family, I opened it back up.
I've hid my emotions for so long I thought I would be able to continue to be a rock.
I am still able to hide it from my dad, i'll never allow him to see me weak even for a split second.
I rather not hear how pathetic I am for being so weak.
I hope he will someday accept it, and we can go back to our regular relationship which was... Terrible anyways.
Someone told me that it might be possible that my subconsciousness was so afraid he would just completely think of me as a disappointment, I didn't think it could be possible of how he thought of me already, but I guess deep down I always was looking for acceptance from my dad.
Why I don't know, when I think about him he just irritates me with how he treats other people not just me.
The mind plays tricks on people...The people I thought I wouldn't care to tell, or their reaction I was happy and relieved by their reactions.
Then the people I thought I would care for their reactions, I did not.
But like many have said here... I think i'll continue to be myself regardless of how he wants to think of me, i've been what people wanted me to be for almost my whole life, I am going to start living to my desires, my wants and my needs