Family. It's life's greatest blessing. It's the greatest thing the world. It's forever. You can't choose them. They're the most important thing. Frankly, they can be a pain in the arse, but we have them anyway, and why not?
I'm aware that as a surrogacy blogger I should be more sensitive about discussing family in a negative way, since readers may not have their much wanted children yet and I may come across as ungrateful. However, I would argue that no matter what, if you have parents, grandparents, siblings, you still have family and you know what I'm about to discuss to be fair and true. I would also say, it's my blog and it's my corner of the internet *blows raspberries* so shush!
As some of you may know, I have a son, daughter, pre-husband, sisters, in-laws, outlaws and a mother. No father. I'm not looking for sympathy, I made peace with my lot in life a long time ago. Truth is, I don't hate him. I pity him.
You see when my biological father (from here on in we'll call him Fuckwit McBellend - see? no hard feelings!) Left, I was 17 months old and my sister was 3ish years old. So I don't actually remember anything about him in the family home. What I do remember over the course of ten years, is a man who visited sporadically and only ever arrived with new arm candy. Sometimes he would get this arm candy pregnant, then after a few months he would leave again. Thus it came to be the life and times of Fuckwit McBellend. (footnote: all arm candies overlapped.)
In the interest of moving forward, we'll jump to his three eldest children, my sister, me and a half-sister a few years younger than me. There are about three or four more but they play no further part in our story, so I'll leave them be.
Now, I've had no more contact with Fuckwit since I was about twelve, I called him and said I deserved much more than he was offering and I was out. He didn't seem particularly bothered; only saying "Okay-dokie then, bye" Which stung but wasn't unexpected.
I was angry for a few years. Why don't I have a father? Why doesn't he care about his kids? Why does everyone else have these great father/daughter relationships and I don't?
One day, I'm not sure when, I got bored with being angry. I was emo before emo was a thing and I hated it. I looked in the mirror, saw a constantly sad face and thought "fuck this" I breathed out and let it go.
I imagined my bag of pain was a tumour in my lungs and I pushed it out. Fuckwit doesn't care about my anger so why do I carry it around? Being angry with the past is stupid. It's poison and it makes the wrong person sick. So push it away.
I made my peace. But I was the only one who did. My oldest sister would pretend that she accepted who he was and lived with the uncertainty, my half-sister felt deeply betrayed by his behaviour and rebelled. But me? I was as Zen as rainbow-hemp-tie-dye-granola-bar.
So why am I talking about this now? Well a few nights ago, a got a tearful message from my younger half-sister. She wanted to talk about McBellend, and she needed a no-bullshit listener. I might be okay about not having a father. But she wasn't okay, she was angry. She'd finally had her fill of being ignored and dumped whenever he had a new girlfriend to entertain.
We talked and I offered her the same thoughts I would've shared with my eighteen year old self. If a parent abandons you. No matter what age you are, it hurts. It's awful, painful and unless you come to terms with it, it'll always feel that way. You just get used to being angry and feeling worthless.
So I say change it. You can't change him, so change yourself. Blow away the pain. Don't see the absentee father, see a man in his forties chasing skirt the same age as his daughters. Don't miss big strong arms that should give fatherly hugs, notice the paunch and receding hairline, as time passes away.
So you've blown the pain away, what's left? There's a hole to fill and you won't be quite right until you do it. Don't fill it with poison, you just blew that sucker out. You fill it with love and happiness. Your best friend; call them more, skype with your sisters, print photographs of your nieces and nephews and look at them in your home, hug your daughter, kiss your future husband, drink a cocktail, laugh often. Fill your life with the good stuff and you'll forget the bad stuff was even there.
So I disagree with that saying "you can't choose your family" I outright reject it. I create my own, I still don't have my own father-figure, but I adore watching my future husband with our daughter. I make my sisters and my in-laws a bigger part of our lives, I talk to at least one sister or sister-in-law every day. I'll call my friends with good news before I call my half-brother. I am Auntie Lyndsay to the girls across the road, but I'm nothing but a memory to my cousins kids. I know my niece's favourite colour converse (purple) but I don't know my baby sister's favourite cereal. I know which kind of toys to buy my friends baby son, but I have no idea what school my little brother went to. My surrogate boy had his second birthday the other day, he's not my blood, but I felt for him like watching a nephew grow older.
I'm okay with that. I made my own family. I cut out the tumours and hurtful people and brought my friends in closer and appreciate the family I do keep.
Families aren't nuclear anymore, it's okay.
Feel good, own your shit. Be your own tribe. Evict the Fuckwits and give Jeremy Kyle less fodder to devour. Be happy in your family, however you make it up.
much love - x -
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