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MENTAL HEALTH | EMOTIONALLY IMMATURE PARENTS
I’m Seeing My Father’s Emotional Unavailability For What It Is
I recognize the full extent of his emotional unavailability and immaturity, and am finding ways to accept and cope with it.
I’ve had a difficult relationship with my father from day one. He’s gruff, condescending, controlling, and has a nasty temper. As the years go by and I think about starting my own family, I want my father to have a presence in my life, but I have to keep him at arm’s length in order to protect myself and my relationships and prevent him from spreading harm to them.
My father is emotionally immature and unavailable, which leads to many awkward interactions. He’s one of those people who you have to put work into having conversations with, because conversations don’t flow naturally. Whenever I interact with my father at family events, which are happening more frequently as the next generation is born into our family, I notice more of his defense mechanisms. They are strategies he uses to avoid any form of emotional intimacy. I watch this unfold with a sense of perplexity, sadness, and resignation.
One day, my family planned a nice outing to the local park and garden. My parents, siblings…
