Lauren (Caller)

Hi, Dr. John.

How are you?

I'm doing good.

Can't complain.

So I'm just going to ask my question and not really give you any context unless whatever you need, because I don't know how to sum up 30 plus years of my life in a few sentences.

Awesome.

So my question is, how can I maintain some sort of relationship with my stepmother while also being absolutely no contact with my father?

Long story short, I mean, I really don't have an emotional attachment to him.

My mom left him when I was about eight and I actually...

I have no memories of my early childhood.

I can only go back as far as like when we moved back to her home state.

And my mom says it's probably because of the trauma that happened in their marriage.

And so I don't.

And from then on, he lived halfway across the country.

I saw him a few times a year.

I don't.

know how to describe it other than like he so he has substance abuse issues in his past.

He also has borderline personality disorder.

So he's just a very chaotic person.

And our conversations, you know, he talks to me and my siblings every day, but it's always complaining about his life, complaining about his work, complaining about his marriage, complaining about how he's a victim in life.