In keeping with the tradition of inviting one of my family members on the podcast each season, today I’m speaking to my dad. I truly value the trust and honesty that my guests offer in this space, so it’s important to me to share aspects of my personal story, too.

My dad has three of his own siblings, and I remember him telling me throughout my childhood that the only constant in my life would be my sisters. Given that my mother often tried to divide me and my sisters, I feel fortunate that we managed to stick together. I wanted my dad to tell me where this idea about siblings came from, why he wanted so many kids, and what it’s like to be a father to all daughters.

As you will see, my dad has different ideas to my own — in particular on the destructibility of the patriarchy. I really value the relationship we’ve established, in which we respect each other’s views even when we don’t agree. This is a stark comparison to many estranged kids and their parents, and I am lucky to have this with my dad even while I can’t have a relationship with my mother.

This is to say that some of the ideas he espouses are unusual for the Bad Mothers space, but I think it’s a good reminder that as estranged kids, we are not averse to disagreements; we are averse to mistreatment.

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