1. Family background My Dad was from Canada. He was an alcoholic, always seemed to be angry, and verbally abusive primarily to Mum, but also my sister and I. One year I was asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I said, “One day where Mum and Dad don’t shout.” Every night he would drink and after dinner he would start shouting, mainly at my Mum, but if my sister or I would talk with him, we’d get shouted at too. So I learned to hide in my bedroom and did my schoolwork. I have no memory of him ever saying he loved me. I know many fathers of this generation didn’t, but his actions didn’t show it either. He didn’t spend time with me, he showed no physical affection, no wrestling, no hugging, he paid me no attention, gave no praise and showed no trust. Dad didn't even seem to like being around me. Dad was physically present, but distant. He didn’t raise me. It seemed he couldn’t be bothered or care about me at all. He would only want to spend time with me so I could help him with a pro...
Identity, Labels, and the Stories We Live By We spend our whole lives figuring out who we are. Not just once, not just during adolescence, but repeatedly—through relationships, through loss, through who or what we love. Through what we fear. Identity is like a living thing. It shifts, grows, breaks, and reforms. Still, we often mistakenly treat it like something that should be simple and fixed: “This is just who I am.” It’s appealing to think identity works that way. A label can feel like clarity. It can offer language for experiences that were once confusing or isolating. It can help us find community. When we finally one that fits, it can feel like finding home. But a label can also become something we cling to too tightly. When a label goes from describing us or our experience to defining us, something changes. We might stop simply being ourselves and begin to associate or perform as we think we’re supposed to. There’s a difference between: I have this experience and This experience...
My wife and I have each answered the question, "Why are we separating, and not continuing to pursue reconciliation?" Here's my updated statement: I have done some things that unintentionally hurt your Mum and led her to not trust me. Why I did those things is not because I don’t love your Mum. I do love her and you. I still have a some trauma in my life that isn’t fully healed, but which I’m continuing to seek to heal. Trauma is complex; it has made me do things I don’t want to do, I don’t really understand why I’ve done them, and I don’t have all the answers, but I do have to take responsibility for them. Mum has also done things that have hurt me, and am willing to keep working at reconciling and repairing. I continue to love her, I will always be your Dad, and I will always love you. My wife's statement: I have worked hard through our marriage to understand and support Dad with the issues around his trauma. Trust has been broken many times over a number of years an...
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