I AmThe Elephant In The Room
With No Way Out
‘The elephant in the room represents a problem or issue causing discomfort or difficulty that needs to be addressed but is probably ignored because no one wants to deal with it.’
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The concept of the elephant in the room is a subject I am all too familiar with. That is because, for all intents and purposes, I am the elephant in the room! I am the father of four children who refuse to speak to me, or even speak of me because it would be the cause of too much discomfort and difficulty.
What lies behind this problem is the history of their mother’s appalling treatment of me, her infidelity, her physical violence, her lies, and her intransigent denial. Instead, she has created an image of herself as a guardian angel not far short of the virgin Mary.
My children view the past from the inside of a bubble of their mother’s making. It is a bubble inside of which she is whiter than the driven snow. She has been their provider and source of comfort, security, and nourishment since they were about twelve years old.
I was painted as the obverse of all of that maternal goodness. I was the one unfairly portrayed as the bad guy. And no amount of truth will do anything to change that perception in the eyes of my children. It is called ‘Parental…