This comment was by Mary Beth in reference to the post – Childless Men Speak Out
I don’t know if it’s okay to comment as a woman on this site, but I read your story from the perspective of an adult fatherless daughter. My dad left when I was six months old and I feel as though I’ve searched for a father figure my entire life.
It’s no joke that missing out on a dad stacks the deck against you—I became sexually active at age 14 with an adult and had way too many partners to admit to, struggled (still do) with feelings of worthlessness, and never did believe anyone when they said they loved me (always assuming it was for something I could do or the way I looked), I looked for male approval every step of my adult life, and now suffer from chronic headache/migraine pain that my neurologist believes is caused by childhood trauma.
The reason I’m sharing this with you is because I want to encourage those of you who are good men, and would have been excellent fathers, but childless, to put yourself out there and find a child to be a father figure to. This could be as a sports coach, a mentor, youth group leader, or just a good friend to a child who doesn’t have a father.
I can’t tell you how as an adult, I still wish and long for a dad. If only there were some older guys out there who had the same desire for a daughter that I have for a dad! Anyway, you get the point. I can definitely understand your pain and struggle with not having children. It’s not just women who experience that, but maybe put your longing to good use and find someone without the dad they need/want and make a HUGE difference in their life! They could come to regard you as their father, and you could come to regard them as your child. Might fill a hole for both of you.
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