When all of my friends wanted to hangout at my house. It was something that I came to appreciate too late in life and with my family I am killing myself to replicate. I may have grown up poor in a wealthy area, but my home was always filled with love and attention from my parents who were good parents. All of my friends spent their teenage years as latch key kids, and always wanted to hangout at my place. I never understood it, and always wanted to get out of the house, but sure enough I was always hanging out with people at my place.

It really struck home for me in my mid twenties when I ran into someone from high school I would hang out with. They almost immediately checked on how my family, made sure my parents were doing good, and stuff like that. I asked about his family and he gave me a brief update and kind of explained how his family was more like friends and my family was more like family. Many of my high school friends found my parents of Facebook and still keep in touch with them. My parents have helped save multiple marriages, give a lot of parenting advice to my old friends, and are god parents to basically a small army.

Civil_Massacre , martathegoodone Report

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In 9th grade, my friends held an intervention for me after I came into school crying again. They made me go to the counselor.

They told me to just give some recent examples of stuff my parents said to me.

After 30 minutes of this, I was crying, of course. But what boggled my mind was that *everyone else* in the room was sobbing too. A half dozen other 15 year old girls, and the 30something school counselor.

That was the first time I realized that maybe I didn't deserve it when my parents were mean to me.

Carbonatite , dodeckahedron Report

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My dad was a stay at home dad and my mom was the breadwinner. At school whenever I was sick/needed to be picked up/any other issue, they would tell me they would “call Mom” but I would insist they not bother her at work and call my dad who was at home and available to get me. Stay at home dads are rare I guess

babyiguana3 , Kirt Edblom Report

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I remember me and my little sister would have been about 6 and 8. We sat at the top of the stairs, listening to our parents argue, made ourselves dinner and put ourselves to bed.

And she said ‘it’s like we’re their mummy and daddy’ and that memory breaks my heart a bit.

Lauzzzzzza , audi_insperation Report

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When my husband told me his mom was the only person that cleaned up while her “boys” went outside after meals.

I was raised by my parents to do the dishes but also to expect help from everybody in the house. My reproductive parts don’t dictate who cleans. My parents raised three women to say “FU to misogyny”. I have 2 girls and a son now and I made it painfully clear that our children will all know they are more than what his parents raised him to believe.

lostintranslation199 , Rubbermaid Products Report

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When my friends wouldn't hide when their parents came home - in fact they'd go greet them.

To say I was shocked after years of isolation without being in any house but my own is an understatement.

anon , Joi Ito Report

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When I was at a friend's house and his mother told me to not say the "N" word because it was a bad word to say.

I didn't know, I had heard it all my life. this was in the late 70's.

Feels2old , Rebecca Siegel Report

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Our parents would give my brother and me "the silent treatment":

They wouldn't speak to us for hours or days at a time, and *never* tell us what they were upset about.

Their goal was to make us feel guilty and ashamed without ever actually making clear what we had supposedly done wrong.

Back2Bach , Marc Levin Report

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All of the arguing. My parents would have all-out screaming matches in front of us, complete with my dad throwing s**t or breaking things (most infamously, an ornate vase that my mom was given by her late grandmother). I was too young to know anything else, and would always end up hiding in my closet with my baby brother until things had cooled off. In hindsight it makes my heart hurt to remember how scared we were.

injury_minded , Samantha Carlson Report

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My family shows each other love through playful mockery, sarcasm, and arguing loudly about things that don't matter.

Try doing that as your default when you meet new people.

openletter8 , Mike Schmid Report

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I was born to a strong, independent single mom. My father passed away of ALS when I was infant. My mom never remarried. I realized from a pretty young age my family situation was not like most. Like my mom treated me more like a friend than a son. She gave serious credence to my opinions and let me do basically whatever I wanted so long as it wasn't illegal or cruel.

Flaky-Fellatio , Eugene Kim Report

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When I realized some kids are excited to see their
Dad come home from work. As opposed to me and my brother going to our rooms and shutting our doors when we heard the garage open

EdgeMiserable4381 , earth_photos Report

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My Mom was a hoarder. I hated for my friends and boyfriends to come in my house but her and my step dad insisted. I was treated like trash because everyone knew what a filthy place I lived in. People would say why don’t y’all clean that place up? Well, because hoarders won’t let you clean it up. Every time, we tried, she would throw a huge fit, so we stopped trying.

Artistic_Duck8300 , Vicki Moore Report

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when I realized that other families tell each other they love each other lmao.

anon , Nenad Stojkovic Report

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When I stopped homeschooling and I met other kids that weren't afraid of their parents.

Aperture_T , Jimmie Quick Report

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As a kid my friends used to tell me my mom (adopted single no A father) hated me. I never really understood why until I processed the trauma she caused me as an adult. That it wasn't normal to always be blamed for everything, told how much she wished she never adopted me, never being hug loved on or any affection, or A home cooked meal. I thank every day for my Pappaw as he was the only one I felt truly believed in me. I left home at 13 an haven't looked back.

Bustyblues420 , Baltimore County Public Library Report

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The first time was when I heard my friend in college tell his dad he loved him at the end of a phone call. My dad has said it to me maybe three times in my life.

Real eye-opener was in therapy when I realized I never felt true love or even support or compassion from them. Cutting them off was easy because I was never made to feel like I was allowed to need help from either of my parents after the age of maybe twelve.

I wish I could empathize with how my wife feels about missing her dad (he died very young). I'm as supportive and helpful as I can be, but I have no strong feelings about the idea of never seeing my parents again.

sausagegravyx2 , Corrie Barklimore Report

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June’s Very Own

June’s Very Own

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2 years ago

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It’s very lovely of you to be so supportive to your wife even though you don’t truly understand her feelings, so good on you for that! Hopefully your new family can provide you with lots of love and your cared for

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Official_Blink️

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2 years ago

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Oh how much I relate to this! Its been ages since my parents last hugged me or told me They love me or even appreciated me for something, and I'm 13

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John Montgomery

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I relate to it as well, but it's the exact opposite too. My parents always said it, but it often feels empty when some of their actions are considered. My dad told me "if we ever fight I'd win. You know why. At some point you'll think to yourself this is my father. I shouldn't be fighting him. I'd have no such thoughts." Conversely often times with mom she'll something that makes me uncomfortable, usually about my weight, but she'll follow it up with "it's because I love you". I'm sure the intentions are good in my mom's case, but I never actually feel loved because you'd think there would be consideration to how I feel, but "what she thinks is best" overrides any other thought. When it comes to missing people, I've not felt anything as strongly as with my late wife. It's getting close to ten months, and I still miss her as much as the day she passed. Even with my granddad, who was more a father to me than my own dad, I only felt that way for a few months.

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IlovemydogShilo

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WOW. This is me exactly. I could have written this. I only cried once after my dad died and that was at his funeral after that, nothing. He never loved me and that was more than abundantly apparent after my brother left home and I was the only child left. He was great with my brother and practically worshipped my sister who he always called "his favourite". I nearly died twice from a cot death as a baby and he told me that his big regret as far as I was concerned was that I was brought back to life. I lost all love for him after that. I had a dog and poured all my love into her and all other dogs after that. I feel because of him that you can love humans but not too much because it will only be a matter of time before they let you down and hurt you. That's why I keep myself fat and unattractive. So no human will want me I won't feel the need to be around them so they can eventually hurt me they all do in the end.

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Marek Čtrnáct

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2 years ago

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I remember when I made peace with my father's death. I felt like we have said everything we wanted to each other and I couldn't expect anything better. This was YEARS before he actually died.

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PADNA

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My dad never said those words either but he shows his emotions in other ways. We're just not affectionate people

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Cass Malone

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My man has tried MULTIPLE times to get me to talk to my dad again. The last time he mentioned it, I told him to stop suggesting it because I'm not GOING to talk to him. I gave him his damned chances to make things right, but he failed all 3 times.

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Carlotta Müller

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None of my parents ever said they love me in my whole live. I'm still in awe when I hear parents say to their children that they love them and children say to their parents they love them or to their siblings.

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CATMONSTER2018

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I have never heard it from my dad... The only 2 people in my life that have said it to me was my 1st eldest sister (I have 2) and my mom

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Jods

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I was in hospital, yet again, and whilst my parents were visiting a friend from work appeared. My mum said they’d go and let us two chat. She bent over my bed to kiss me but I flinched - she’d never done that before! I still think she only kissed me goodbye because of my friend being there, to put on a front.

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Susie Elle

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That must've been really confronting/confrontationa (not sure what the right word is here)l for you

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Eunice Probert

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You're lucky. My parents never, ever said it to me.

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My friend talked back to his mom so casually and I thought that she was gonna do something but she didn’t.

If I talked back to my mom I would’ve gotten the belt

MusicIsLife003 , kari wagner Report

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When a guest or whoever it is joins us for an evening and at some point through the night you look over to them and they're sitting in their seat just staring around the room, a look of confusion and shock on their face while trying to figure out wtf is going on and attempting to make sense of things.

For context when I say my family I'm including aunties, uncles and cousins. We get together once a week at my grandmother's house and it can get pretty overwhelming if you're not used to it. There's about 30 of us in total. The youngest person is 2 y.o and the eldest is 82

Sycou , Conall Report

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When I got to college and most of my friends parents were divorced. That was an eye opener. A lot of people were astounded my parents were still married and a lot assumed they were divorced around the holidays. It was wild coming from my parents who have been together for 40 years and my grandparents who were together for 73.

Sanguiniutron , Amy Truter Report

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We never eat at the dinner table ever

-DarknessNLight- , gardener41 Report

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When my friend’s mom talked to him about something he did wrong instead of smacking him around and getting yelled at.

ok_koreal , Jason Lander Report

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When I found out that it was not normal that all parents drive around their kids, take them to soccer practice, to friends' houses, fetch them at the bus stop when it's cold outside and the next bus takes over 30 minutes to arrive, fetch them at 3 am from a party, things like that. Made me appreciate my parents even more.

pigirl666 , susieq3c Report

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When I started my own family. My girlfriends family are all so close ,they always have big birthdays and everyone's there, they call each other and show concern when somethings wrong , they help us out even when we don't ask , even ask me how everything's going in my life and how's work and what not. I never got that from anyone in my family not even a simple" I love you"

ghost06669 , Virginia State Parks Report

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i can’t remember what he was talking about but when a teacher in middle school said “it’s not like they’re going to announce over the intercom “so and do’s dad is drunk on school premises please send them down to the office” and all the other kids laughed like it was a joke but it was an actual fear of mine

spacestonerbitch-420 , Chris Dixon Report

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Around the age of 11. My mother passed away when i was 9 and i found out she had cheated on her husband(my dad)and than she was pregnant with me. (She already had other kids with him) When i was around 4-5 she left him for my biological father(just that kind of selfish jerk with anger issues..) and after she died we had to do DNA test and it turned out the person i loved the most wasn't even my "real" dad.. i can't even imagine how he had to feel. And from that time i wasn't able to see him that much, but the side of family, of my biological father hate me so much(mainly his mother) we had to live here for 2 years and she really did let me know that no one wanted me to be alive and i just ruined everything by being born..

martin28000 , Julia Report

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Family dinners last no longer than 10 minutes, including holidays.

Conversations don't really sound genuine and insightful. More like, just acknowledging eachother's existences.

No natural bonding over anything, everything feels forced.

Not very inclusive in any degree, just feels like we don't want eachother in our businesses.

The ever present tension between members that suggests anything could break down in a minute's notice. And they will.

anon , Bev Sykes Report

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My parents are exactly like George Costanza’s parents. It’s impossible for either one of them to make it through any story if there is a date, time, location or anything that they might disagree upon and bicker about mid story. When I hear other peoples parents communicate I feel like my brain is getting a massage.

Studflood , Tony Alter Report

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When I started socializing with other kids, about kindergarten and forward, I realized that not everyone lives the same way I and my family do. Some had it better. Some were about the same. Some had it worse. Also, when the family gossip and secrets started coming out as I got into my teens, I realized that my family has a lot of skeletons in the closet that I refuse to inherit.

anon , ella Report

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