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Family

Me And My Dad Fight

<div class="ExternalClass0BBD49E814464BD4B03212CF89313380">Me and my dad fight 24/7. He's never in my life. I miss having a dad. What do I do? </div>

<div class="ExternalClass0B1068DA18BB41DB86846B9AD39F04A2">Thanks for emailing in. You probably do miss having that father/daughter relationship if most of your time spent together is fighting. Here are just a few suggestions to try to see if this helps.1) Approach him at a time when things are calm. Set the tone for the conversation by starting out with something positive. Think about it. If someone came up to you and started the conversation by being accusatory or had a complaint about you, it might put you on the defensive right away. That something positive might be a recent conversation you had in which there was no yelling or something the two of you worked on together with no complications.2) Let him know that you appreciate him and give him specific examples i.e. he helps with homework, took you shopping, just anything that you truly do appreciate. 3) Offer an apology for something you may have said that hurt him. State some ideas that you are willing to work on so that it doesn't happen again like you will take some deep breaths to remind yourself not to raise your voice or you won't interrupt him.4) Think about writing him a letter. It may sound silly, but it will allow you to be able to say everything you want to say without interruption. Tell him the letter is important to you.5) Think about when your arguments usually happen. Are they at the end of a long day or over the phone when you dad is at work. Also think about what most of your disagreements are about. Are they over telling him last minute plans, homework, chores? If you can pinpoint what most of these arguments are about, maybe together the two of you can compromise on a game plan that works for both of you.Laura, Crisis Counselor</div>

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