How To Live With An Absentee Father?

Question: This past Father’s Day was one of the most depressing I’ve ever experienced. How do I explain to my friends that I don’t know my father and that he never made an attempt to contact me despite him knowing that I am his son? How could I understand why he had to put all of the responsibility solely on my mother? Do you think I can live with this label?

Answer: It is difficult to overcome the wounds left by a parent’s absence, but remember that when wounds heal, they make that part of the skin stronger. Forgiving and understanding the inability of a man to love and to be present in your life will not only make you feel better, but rather it will let you learn that despite not having that figure in your life, there were loving people at your side.

“Don’t try to only plant the seed, instead be with it during its development until it becomes fruit.”

Martha Sáenz is a life coach hyponotherapist who lives in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter at @marthalifecoach.