“At 18, I recently reconnected with my mother after 6 years of being alienated. The reason? My father’s lies”
My mom and dad separated when I was two, and while my mom raised me on her own, my dad moved on to new relationships. I only recently discovered how deeply he manipulated both of us.
My mom raised me without bringing other men into the picture. She was always there—reliable, loving, and providing everything I needed.
The only thing missing was my dad.
As I grew older, I started resenting her for his absence, not realizing that she was shielding me from the truth of his betrayal.
My dad was happy to play the occasional weekend parent, leaving my mom to do all the heavy lifting.
“Even though he had abandoned us, she let him come around because she wanted me to have a father.“
But behind the scenes, he and my stepmom were plotting. Their first major move was when I was five. They convinced my mom to let me travel with them during their move across the country. I was supposed to fly back home afterward, but things didn’t go as planned.
They used that trip as a way to keep me from my mother, and it was the first of many manipulative games.
By the time I was 12, my dad had alienated me from my mom. He and my stepmom convinced me that my mother was the problem. When it came time for me to visit him that Christmas, he filed court papers at the last minute to take custody of me, blindsiding my mom. He used every dirty trick he could to keep me from coming home.
For the next six years, I believed his lies. He made me feel guilty about living with my mom, telling me how much better things would be if I stayed with him.
I was young and impressionable, and I didn’t understand how manipulative he was. My mom tried to reach out countless times, but I blocked her. I didn’t know she was sending messages to me, and when she did manage to get through, I was cruel, saying things no mother should ever hear.
Fast forward to now. After years of alienation, I finally contacted my mom. I wasn’t sure how she would react after all the hurt I had caused, but I had to apologize.
“I thought my dad was rescuing me from the world, but it turns out he was the one I needed saving from.”
I told her I was moving out of my dad’s house and wanted to reconnect. Surprisingly, she didn’t jump at the chance to take me back into her life. Instead, she set conditions for our relationship. She wanted me to attend therapy, both individually and with her.
She also offered to buy me an RV and fund a year-long trip across Canada and the US, on one condition: I had to write a book about the parental alienation I experienced.
I was taken aback by her request. Part of me wants to reconnect with her, but another part is afraid of confronting everything I did and said. My father’s manipulation and the lies I believed have weighed heavily on me, and now, the truth is painful to face.
But traveling in an RV for a year could be therapeutic, and writing about my experiences might help me heal.
As I prepare to leave my dad’s house, I wonder what the future holds. Can I rebuild the relationship with my mother, and will she forgive me for the hurtful things I’ve done?
“I’m not sure. But I know that the first step is confronting the truth, no matter how painful.”
What would you do in my situation?
Have you ever been manipulated by someone close to you? Share your story!
Discover more from Campfire Fiction
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.