Woman Asks Mom To Walk Her Down The Aisle, Her Emotionally Unavailable Dad Flips Out After Discovering He Doesn't Get The Honor

What the dad doesn't realize is that it's the consequence of not being there for his daughter.

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• Published in Interesting
• February 3, 2024

When a father is emotionally withdrawn from their adult child, it can deeply impact the child's emotional well-being and relationships. Adults who have experienced emotional withdrawal may suffer from feelings of rejection, abandonment, and low self-esteem, leading to difficulties in forming and maintaining healthy relationships.

They may also struggle with trust issues and emotional regulation problems, suppressing their feelings or experiencing emotional outbursts as a result of unresolved pain. This emotional withdrawal can contribute to long-term effects on the adult child's self-identity, causing them to question their worth and seek validation from external sources.

The Redditor in today's story may not have an emotionally available father, but she was fortunate to have a caring mother who did a good job of seeing that all her needs were met. The original poster (OP) tells the community that she has settled on making her mom the person who will walk down the aisle.

She reflects on her strained relationship with her emotionally withdrawn father, who has been absent for most of her life despite being financially supportive. Her mother, whom she describes as a superhero, played a pivotal role in her upbringing, providing emotional support and attending to her needs.

The father's minimal involvement increased slightly after the divorce but remained superficial. Despite her father's financial contributions, the emotional void left by his absence is profound.

When the time comes to plan her wedding, the OP decides to have her mother walk her down the aisle instead of her father, a decision that deeply upsets him. Despite attempts to mend the relationship, her father reacts negatively and refuses to communicate.

OP's father became upset when he heard that he won't be walking the OP down the aisle on her wedding.

OP and her father have a strained relationship, so it didn't feel right for her to allow him to walk with her on her wedding.

To OP, her dad was just a guy who lived in the same house.

Whatever her father lacked, her mother compensated.

The OP's dad began his effort to mend his relationship with the OP.

But his efforts weren't enough, especially since he does it half-heartedly.

The OP was so excited about the idea of having her mom walk her on her wedding.

The OP, during a lunch date with her dad, told him that he's invited to the wedding.

She finally revealed to her dad about her plan.

The dad walked out and obviously became upset with the OP, as he hasn't been talking to her.

The dad doesn't have the right to insist on being the one to walk the OP down the aisle.

It's a decision between her and her soon-to-be husband.

He needs to realize that throughout his daughter's life, his role was merely that of a "guest."

The dad is also probably regretting his emotional absence toward his daughter.

Only the OP gets to decide on this matter, no matter what her dad feels about it.

If the dad wants to be involved in milestones like this, he needs to be more present.

Given the relationship between the dad and the OP, it's not his place to insist on the role. While he may feel upset, he must acknowledge that it's a consequence of his past inaction.

If he wants involvement in his daughter's future milestones, he must strive to be a better father to the OP.

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