“Would an absent father affect my daughter's mental health?”
Since we separated, my daughter's father has been in and out of her life. Sometimes, he'll be around for a while, other times he'll disappear for months at a time--not even call for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm worried about the toll this is going to take on her mental health. Right now, she doesn't think anything of it and still thinks the world of him (I have trouble understanding why but that's a different story). Will her absentee father cause her issues in the future? What should I do to help her?
4 Answers
You have to interpret his behavior: You can say to her that he wasn't ready to be a father, but he loves you. He wants to check in, but he can't schedule things yet. Some day he may get good at scheduling his life, but he's hasn't caught up to that yet. We can practice scheduling ourselves, so you and I don't have that trait. You always want to do a little better than your parents, anyway. So, just because a dad can't commit to being a dad doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It just means he didn't have a very good childhood, and he is still trying to figure out his own life. You are loved however you look at it. You are priceless.
Separation can have a toll anyone and specifically children. The degree of impact can be mediated by having open discussions with your child. Daughters tend to have later adolescent issues, particularly around self worth, value, and relationships. Discussions around healthy self view, allowing her to express her opinions, thought, questions regarding the separation (age appropriate). Parental conflict and bad mouthing the other parent has an equally harmful impact on the child. Be honest in responding to questions, and role model healthy self care behaviors.
Go to this link to get this source. https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Absentee-Father-Transcript-Events-ebook/dp/B07B9R4CV9/ref=sr_1_2/143-4975369-0127255?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549583134&sr=1-2&keywords=absentee+fathers
Should provide some enlightenment to your question.
Should provide some enlightenment to your question.
It can help advance any issues she may have but the issues were there before obviously. Many times mental illness can be hereditary. See if one side of family had or has emotional issues. Most times mental health problems start around early adolescence. If she is younger than it can progress as she gets older. Seeing a therapist can help anytime
