Member-only story
Reprogramming Myself Series
Is That Emotional Abuse?
A revelation came today
To girls, the statement we hear, growing up, is that will likely marry someone like our dads. I didn’t mind that too much, because my dad was probably my best friend.
No, we didn’t go on daddy-daughter dates. No, we didn’t work together around the house. But, yes, he listened to me when I talked and didn’t “tell on me” when I needed to feel heard about my relationship with my mom.
Dad was a busy guy. He was busy making a living for all of us nine kids and a stay-at-home wife. The jobs around the house and yard were all very gender-specific. Girls did inside work (except weeding the gardens) and boys did the outside work-mowing, trimming, digging and planting, etc.
Aside all that seemingly 50’s family orientation, dad was a good listener. He still is…if you agree with him. Funny how age changes things, huh?
I could go into his home office, as a teenager, and talk about the mean girls at school, ask questions about our faith, boys, and even vent about mom.
Like every good teenage girl, I didn’t see eye to eye with my mom. I never grew out of that, though. We are just very different humans with some similarities, like our love of our family and work ethics.
