Whenever parents split up, their kids are told a version of events that’s rather neutered. It’s stuff like who’s picking them up when, or which house has the better snacks. What nobody really talks about are the weird things that dads keep to themselves, and today, we’re looking at ten things divorced dads won’t tell their children.
Would you keep any of these unsaid?
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He sometimes lies about being busy
That time that Dad kept rescheduling the weekend at the waterpark wasn’t actually because he was busy with work. It was actually because his bank account was looking rather low & the child support check had already used up half his paycheck. But he didn’t want to admit that. Nope, he blamed work & hoped that you wouldn’t notice.
He checks your mom’s social media a lot
After the papers are signed, you’d think people move on, but not always. Your dad might actually be looking at your mom’s Facebook posts far more often than he’d care to admit. It’s not because he necessarily wants her back, but rather it’s out of habit more than anything. Bringing it up would be way too embarrassing.
He’s worried you’ll like your stepdad more
It doesn’t matter how cool he seems about your mom’s new man, as he still has a little voice in his head begging for you not to call the new guy Dad. Of course, he won’t mention it. He’ll play it cool, with no questions or any awkwardness, even though it’s eating him up inside. It hurts even more when he sees the pair of you fishing or whatever.
He keeps your old family stuff
At one point, he probably boxed up a bunch of your old stuff, like your photos & a bad self-portrait. But he doesn’t cry about it. It’s just there, in the back of the closet, somewhere that you won’t find easily, nor will he bring up. It feels too sentimental for him, or something along those lines.
He worries about your wedding
He’s thought about your wedding day, probably more than once, and he’s worried about where he’ll be. Standing next to you, or across the aisle from your mom? Is there gonna be drama over who walks you down? But he keeps these worries to himself because he doesn’t want his kid to think he’s worrying about them. Secretly, though, he is.
He sometimes lets you win arguments
Those “arguments” where you said you wanted pizza and he wanted vegetables weren’t really arguments at all. He let you win, not because you made a great case, but because he wasn’t in the mood to keep saying no. After all, he knows he doesn’t see you every day. That makes it harder to be strict, so any ‘wins’ are probably just the guilt talking.
He doesn’t always know how to talk to you
When they were still together, your mom often prompted your dad to talk behind the scenes. She’d tell him to ask you about the science fair, or remind you that you had a sore throat, so he should ask about it. But now she’s not here. As such, he has to wing it sometimes, which means there are a few awkward silences that he pretends are completely normal.
He sometimes wishes you’d ask about him
Most of your conversations are usually about how you feel or what’s new with you at work. He asks stuff, and you answer, rinse & repeat. But what he won’t tell you is that he wishes you’d ask him about his life, even just once. He’d love for you to show a real interest in his life, although he doesn’t expect it. Really, it’d just be nice.
He pretends he’s okay with being ignored
After a few days go by without any calls or texts, he tells himself that you’re just busy, which you probably are. However, that silence is still just as loud. He won’t say anything when you finally do call. He’ll simply act as though he didn’t notice, even though he really did.
He feels weird showing affection in public
It was normal for him to give you a hug at school drop-off or a kiss on the head before the divorce. Now, it’s a different story. He’s in a new setting with new routines & he sometimes holds back. But not because he doesn’t want to, and it’s simply because he isn’t sure what feels normal anymore. Does he want to embarrass you, again?
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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