On Father’s Day: From Resentment to Forgiveness

Father’s Day is often celebrated far less than Mother’s Day.

For some people, a father is an absent figure in their lives. Some even say their father contributed nothing more than a sperm.

For many years, I carried resentment toward my father.

As a child, I felt he treated my mother poorly. I naturally took my mother’s side and grew angry with him. That resentment followed me throughout my teenage years and well into adulthood.

I was never close to my father, although I felt obligated to be a good daughter. I often fulfilled his wishes, but many times it was done reluctantly rather than willingly.

After my mental breakdown, I avoided seeing my father for years. I believed he was one of the reasons for my emotional struggles and mental illness. Holding on to that belief made it easier to keep my distance.

Then, years later, I saw him again.

By then, he was nearly eighty years old.

The man who once seemed so strong and intimidating now looked fragile and old. Time had quietly changed him. As I looked at him, I began to see not only my father, but also a human being, someone imperfect, carrying his own burdens, flaws, and limitations.

Over the years, I gradually learned to forgive him.

Forgiveness is not about denying the hurt or pretending the past never happened. It is a healing process.

When we hold resentment toward someone, we often continue carrying the pain long after the original wounds were inflicted. The anger lives inside us, weighing us down and preventing us from moving forward.

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it can free us from being trapped by it.

For me, forgiveness brought relief. It became an important part of my healing journey and my mental health recovery.

Today, I am grateful for my father.