Estranged father takes things too far

A reader's father goes to extreme lengths to harass his daughter, to the point his behavior should be considered a form of abuse, Carolyn Hax says.

By

Lifestyle

December 7, 2021 - 9:44 AM

Dear Carolyn: My dad and I have been estranged since I was 18. He left my mom when I was 12, after cheating for years, which I was aware of because he brought the woman around when my mom was working. He threatened me constantly that if I told her, I would be responsible for my mom dying (she had a heart condition). 

After he married my stepmother, visiting them was horrible. My stepsister, and stepmother on occasion, used to say the cruelest things to me about my looks, my weight, lack of friends and boyfriends — and when I told my dad, he’d just say…

Related
September 15, 2026
March 25, 2021
September 15, 2020
August 4, 2020