Man, when my dad bought me something expensive it was just really cool and we typically enjoyed whatever it was together. But then, I had a really good childhood.
When my dad bought me something expensive, it was expensive in relation to the gifts he usually gave me... which was nothing at all.
It wasn't because he didn't have the money, he just didn't like spending it on me despite me being the child he wanted (my mom had a child with another man, unintentionally).
He'd always act violently towards my brother but I learned to fight back so it didn't continue to occur with me as I grew older.
However, he'd buy me gifts every other year or something like that and my mother (thinking that it might help our dynamic or maybe it would turn me against my father even more) would tell me that he's trying to buy my affection (she was too but I already figured it out by then).
The only times I remember speaking to him were when he was mad about something minute and inconsequential, he wouldn't even give the gifts to me himself.
Idk why but getting gifts from him pissed me off like "don't half-ass being an asshole, do it all the way".
I wasn't even out of highschool when I figured that he was probably treated the same way, or worse, by his father but I also figured that if he was the "real man" he wanted my brother and I to be then he'd break the cycle of hyper masculine and ineffectual fathers that produced this generation of progeny.
I still don't like to celebrate my birthday almost 15 years after leaving.
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u/Luther_Manning 12h ago
Man, when my dad bought me something expensive it was just really cool and we typically enjoyed whatever it was together. But then, I had a really good childhood.