I’m 21, recently turned 21 5 days ago, attend community college, can’t drive, and live with my two parents, while my younger brother is at a university. We live in a good house, lifestyle, and my parents have good income as software engineers. However, I am autistic, have management and independent issues, and often need my parents to monitor so I don’t go off task.
Today, I had a conflict with my father because he approached me saying that I need to change my behavior. Whenever he checks up on me, I have to comply with him and show everything I may be hiding. He doesn't respect my privacy and need to be left alone at certain times. I was waking up slowly like I always do and looking at my phone in the process. Last night in my dreams I was thinking about why I resent him. It didn’t end well. He got angrier the more I disobeyed him, ignored him, stayed silent from him, and didn’t do exactly as he says(Namely, returning my phone to his desk when I tossed it onto the couch once he started yelling at me to give it back. Even so, he demanded that I return it to his desk). Then I couldn’t contain my anger and resent anymore and shot back. What he did as usual was say that he didn’t deserve any bad behavior from me, he did nothing wrong, and that he deserves respect from me(but I heard parents owe their children nothing, is that right?). Victimizing himself and antagonizing me, and blaming me for challenging him. I feel like shit when I’m antagonized by him. Then he goes on and on about what he did for me(taking me to good and fun places, buying me food), that this is his house I live in. A frequent excuse he used today is to question what I have given back to the family. He also called me mentally ill, which I deflected back at him, and even told me that if I don’t want to see him, get out of his house. I may have no other option than to stay, but despite that I kinda want to because I am tired of living with him. He even called me a burden.
Along with this today, there are many reasons why I hate and resent him deep down. I just hate how he treats me regularly, expressing disdain with my bad habits, and anger when I don’t comply. Even mocking instead of praising me when I express that I want to do some good, at a certain time. In general, whenever I have struggles and conflicts online, he usually doesn’t comfort me, but berates me more, doesn’t understand me, and makes me feel worse instead of supporting me. He doesn’t know how scary and intimidating he really is. Yet despite that, whenever he talks in a stern tone, he later always says his tone was good and that was being nice.
I remember one time, even after having an argument with my mother, when she wanted to be left alone, he approached saying they needed to talk in the same sort of tune. At her breaking point, my mother screamed to be left alone, ran into their room, and began crying. At that moment, when I wanted to stand up for her, my dad said and brushed off the fact that she screamed and cried as something unreasonable, and even addressed that I wanted to protect her with slight mockery, anger, and disdain.
Another time, when I was emotionally unstable and crying because of my mom screaming at me, he then downplayed my emotions by saying that my suffering can't compare to theirs because of how high maintenance I am. Then said that I needed to be “lovable” and “adorable” to be loved or hugged. I then cried saying that he doesn’t know how I feel and how I suffer, only for him to berate me more, and tell me to “shut the fuck up”. After that, when I tried to talk to my mother after that, he then tried to make her stop listening and say to her that I’m “using her”, even though I just wanted to talk to her and for her to understand me.
Never once have I seen him apologize to me or my mother and take accountability about what he did and how I acted. He even threatened that he might kill me because I attacked my mother when I was angry at her for mocking me in a heated moment. That was the only time I ever saw him cry, after I hurt my mother out of anger. Whenever I cry, and am sad and have an outburst because of that, he calls it "drama", "showing off", and "looking to fight". He treats my emotions like a disease in the family. I have barely received and felt emotional affection, comfort, care, empathy, or sympathy from him, and he doesn’t respect me. He has never cried for me or even told how much he loves me. When I try to talk about that to him, he uses the excuse “it’s his style of parenting”, and that he can’t understand the emotional care and treatment I want. He even laughs at it a couple times.
Whenever I mention it to my mother, she just downplays his lack of emotional care, saying he’s good enough, that I need to forgive him, and that it’s hard to make him understand empathy. She also says he’s already near perfect because her father was worse, and that he cares for me. I doubt it. With how things go on, if I committed suicide or got lost, I doubt he would feel sad, care for me. I feel so expendable, replaceable to him, because he stops loving me the moment I object to him or disobey him. He only hates me when that happens. Yet, during some of these heated moments, my mother would get emotional and regret that she brought me into this family, and that I can testify to the court against my father. She was even unhappy with him for a certain period of time. When I bring those up, she downplays those too. My father even made my brother cry when he expressed doubt in him and that he didn’t like him and how he acted. He just demands obedience, compliance, and respect.
To anyone reading this, tell me, is this okay? Am I wrong for feeling this about my father? I feel like my life feels empty, lacks self esteem, and that I lack motivation to do good because I didn’t receive enough care. I feel alone and unloved. I feel like I act like this because of how my parents, most especially my father has treated me. Is that true? I think I don’t give back to the family because it’s just very hard for me to do so due to feeling this way. I usually just live my own life on the internet and contribute to chores whenever asked. Am I a bad son for doing so?
Whenever I doubt his love for me, he and my mom just use the excuse of the things he did for the family, transporting me to school, taking me to good places, and providing food. Is this love, despite the complete absence of empathy and emotional support? Am I supposed to force myself to accept and love him this way? Is that how love works? This love feels so empty, so hollow. To me, because of everything he did, that makes him a provider, but not a father. He may feed and give us good experiences, but no amount of them will fix or erase what he did, how he acted, and how he made me feel when I needed emotional support the most. The feeding and good experiences are ultimately just fleeting moments when it comes to my family’s relationship.
Is my father right or wrong for treating me and my family this way? Help me, I can’t go on like this forever, I think I’m going to snap and do something irreversible one day.
P.S.: My family is Asian, which may explain a lot…