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u/silentdads2026

▲ 5 r/AdultChildren

Once upon never..

Never. And I mean never. Have i believed in once upon a time. Not because i don’t believe it is real. But because as a kid, having you innocence stripped away as well as seeing your siblings go as well. It just rewires your brain. You become way to mature, way to early in life.

So when asked if I think I’ll ever get a life worth having, I just tell people that look what I have! I was dealt a dogshit hand, and it had taken me yearssss to build what I have. So no, I do t believe in once upon a time. I believe in working on turning your life around on your own because this world will chew you up and spit you out if you aren’t tough enough.

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u/silentdads2026 — 4 days ago
▲ 11 r/AdultChildren+2 crossposts

Is it just me or..

Is it just me or does anybody else have a stepmom or stepdad that they don’t call their stepmom or stepdad? They just called them either their dad‘s wife or their mom‘s husband when speaking on them?

I have never called anyone my mom besides my mom and I have never called anyone my dad besides my dad, because no one besides them has been that to me considering the Mom and the Dad that I have themselves weren’t very good at being a mom and dad.

It’s mostly my dad’s wife.. I won’t even call her by name. Not even when speaking to her in person. She gets a hey, you!, from me. I just can’t allow someone to have that kind of accolade, when she has been the root cause of my mental, and emotional issues growing up from all of the psychological warfare she created inside that house.

So, is it just me? Or.. is there anyone who can relate?

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u/silentdads2026 — 5 days ago
▲ 8 r/AdultChildren+1 crossposts

I never planned on writing publicly. But I spent years looking for someone who'd been through childhood trauma and addiction and was willing to talk about it like a real person — not a success story, not a cautionary tale. Just honest.

I grew up with a dad who never spoke about anything that mattered. No pain, no love, no struggle. Just silence. And without realizing it, I became him.

I finally started writing about it. Not because I have answers. Because I needed to break the silence somewhere.

If any of this sounds familiar — whether you had a silent dad, or you've been one, or you're just trying to figure out how to be different — I wrote this for you.

https://open.substack.com/pub/silentdads/p/the-man-who-never-spoke?r=5icde8&utm\_campaign=post&utm\_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

No pitch. Just one person finally talking.

u/silentdads2026 — 7 days ago