Dad criticizing boyfriend

[Paisleegreen]

My husband spoke with my Dad all the time to work things out. It became a weekly ritual of my Dad criticizing my husband. My father died at age 92 1/2 a grumpy old man. He didn't use to be that way, but as he aged he got more critical and hard to reason with. Also, forgetful, so after he took his anxiety out on us, he was a happy camper, it was like as one Anxiety book says, some people are addicted to rage and the author doesn't support people raging. It doesn't help the good neurotransmitters that make you feel good. Just remind yourself of that, because no matter what you do your boyfriend will never be good enough for your Dad, and there are healthy Dad's that love their daughters and there are dysfunctional Dad's that love their daughters.

So be aware of the differences...take care. Paislee

[Gigi123]

Paisleygreen, I'm sure that was a very difficult thing to go through with your dad. One thing I have learnt is that we can't change others. As long as my dad is respectful towards my boyfriend, he can think what ever he wants, as long as he keeps those inner thoughts to himself. It's normal to be protective of your children, but not so much that you stop them from living their lives or allowing them to be happy and make decisions on their own.

[Paisleegreen]

That's where my father didn't keep his opinions to himself and he even one time had a notebook on how to raise our kids. Very critical and we were doing a great job, nothing pleased him. He was going to fix our family, when we didn't need fixing. We were quite capable of taking care of ourselves. I have 5 children, a college degree, married a good guy, had some good jobs and out of several siblings he chose to come live near us after he retired. So he was always in our business. That's why it was so shocking and devastating to me and my family.