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I Invited My Abusive Father to My Wedding and He Didn’t Come
I extended the olive branch and invited my parents to my wedding, but they couldn’t be bothered to RSVP.
“Whatever their degree of self-control, these parents are governed by emotion, seeing the world in black-and-white terms, keeping score, holding grudges, and controlling others with emotional tactics. Their fluctuating moods and reactivity make them unreliable and intimidating. And while they may act helpless and usually see themselves as victims, family life always revolves around their moods. Although they often control themselves outside the family, where they can follow a structured role, within the crucible of intimate family relationships they display their full impulsivity,”
― Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents
Truth be told, I didn’t really want him at my wedding. I did genuinely want my mother to be there though, and they’re a package deal, so I invited both of them as a gesture of goodwill. Beyond that, we’ve always kept up appearances, pretending to be the perfect little family. It would be like a declaration of war if I didn’t invite them.
