Aww that's hard, Steph! I think it's awesome that you were able to turn things around and go in the opposite direction from your father. I try to do the same thing when it comes to my family and the way they handled things.
My father was an incredibly scary guy who had a really violent temper but luckily he never took it out on us. He was one of those guys who would destroy things. He once got so mad that he kicked the shit out of the dollhouse my grandfather had bought me until it was completely destroyed. He used to always kick our pets as well. He was an alcoholic on top of everything else. Never once told me he loved me or made me feel safe and has been one of the main reasons that I have yet to be able to maintain any strong relationships with the men in my life. Which I'm sure if I consulted a therapist they'd agree (There ya go Nick, there's your disclaimer!!) lmao
This book is hard to read as I knew it would be. Most of these kinds of books are, which is why I usually stay away from them but it was Nick so I needed to make an exception. I did come from a severely neglectful home. I was almost taken out when my father was arrested and my mother was in a mental institution but they gave me to my grandparents instead until my mother got out of the mental hospital. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if they had taken me away from my parents. Despite it all, I think I managed to turn out semi okay but yeah there's a lot of issues. I mean I'm sure everyone is nodding now and saying "Okay...now I get why she's so nuts! and has such a great handle on her villains!" LOL
I can't believe I just said all that on a public message board but ah well, guess for me that particular part of my past is just that, my past and writing Mel's brought out a lot of that stuff anyway. Unfortunately it's only a tiny chunk of the crap I have dealt with.
I'm sure a lot of us have been through hell. In that way, I am so glad Nick decided to write this book. I know people are coming down on him for being preachy or giving advice he shouldn't be, but for people who feel like they are going through something terrible, him reaching out may be the one hand they need to feel like they aren't going through things all alone.