Comments on: Michael Phelps and His Father http://blogs.babiesonline.com/news/michael-phelps-and-his-father/ News & Information about parenting, pregnancy, and Babies Online's services Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:40:33 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Lori http://blogs.babiesonline.com/news/michael-phelps-and-his-father/comment-page-1/#comment-9623 Lori Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:26:44 +0000 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/?p=4570#comment-9623 I also think it is a sad story and it is hard to understand how it can get to this point. I can relate to it in the aspect that my children struggle in their relationship with their father. In their growing up years he was either not around(by choice)or didn't want to be bothered by them and chose not to participate in the family for the most part. He finally started taking an interest when we got a divorce 9 years ago, but by that time 3 of them were older and he did not make much of an effort with them as he did our younger 2. The thing is their father really wasn't a nice person and he did a lot of things that I should have divorced him a lot sooner for, but I chose to stay for the kids. The kids witnessed more than I like to admit because I tried to sheild them from knowing the truth about their father, so that they could have a good relationship with him. I did not bad talk their father to anyone because I didn't want my children thinking badly of him. But, the truth has a way of finding its way to the top...as each of them grew up, they came to really know him for who he is. One of my daughters has not spoken to her father in over a year and has not seen him for 2 years. My oldest two children, will talk to him but its maybe a couple times a year. My youngest daughter struggles constantly with him and she still thinks she can change him to be the father she wants or needs him to be. My youngest is the only one that has any type of relationship with him and that is probabaly because his father put the most into him. This makes me sad because I want them to have a healthy relationship with their father...I want them to forgive him and just accept him for who he is. Maybe Michael Phelps grew up with an absent father? Maybe he doesn't speak of the things that caused this because he doesn't want to speak ill of his father in the public eye. I can imagine that a father like you would have a hard time understanding something like this. You are a great father. I know this because it comes through in everything you write. Loris last blog post..<a href="http://mylifeinterupted.blogspot.com/2008/08/in-her-shoes.html">In her shoes</a> I also think it is a sad story and it is hard to understand how it can get to this point. I can relate to it in the aspect that my children struggle in their relationship with their father. In their growing up years he was either not around(by choice)or didn’t want to be bothered by them and chose not to participate in the family for the most part. He finally started taking an interest when we got a divorce 9 years ago, but by that time 3 of them were older and he did not make much of an effort with them as he did our younger 2.

The thing is their father really wasn’t a nice person and he did a lot of things that I should have divorced him a lot sooner for, but I chose to stay for the kids. The kids witnessed more than I like to admit because I tried to sheild them from knowing the truth about their father, so that they could have a good relationship with him. I did not bad talk their father to anyone because I didn’t want my children thinking badly of him. But, the truth has a way of finding its way to the top…as each of them grew up, they came to really know him for who he is.

One of my daughters has not spoken to her father in over a year and has not seen him for 2 years. My oldest two children, will talk to him but its maybe a couple times a year. My youngest daughter struggles constantly with him and she still thinks she can change him to be the father she wants or needs him to be. My youngest is the only one that has any type of relationship with him and that is probabaly because his father put the most into him. This makes me sad because I want them to have a healthy relationship with their father…I want them to forgive him and just accept him for who he is.

Maybe Michael Phelps grew up with an absent father? Maybe he doesn’t speak of the things that caused this because he doesn’t want to speak ill of his father in the public eye. I can imagine that a father like you would have a hard time understanding something like this. You are a great father. I know this because it comes through in everything you write.

Loris last blog post..In her shoes

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