Dear Dad, 

I have always wanted to say many things to you. Most of the time I just wanted to stick up for myself because I knew you were wrong. You would yell and yell and yell at me for something I didn’t do wrong. You just overreact at the small things. I would sit there for hours at a time and listen to you yell at me and tell me how it didn’t matter what I said because you were always right. You were the adult and I had no right to argue with you for something I believed in. 

I have always wanted to just say how horrible you made me feel and how I wanted to kill myself because of you. But I knew I could never tell you this because of what would happen because of it. I’m too afraid of you to tell you how I really feel. I’ll just bring up this one thing that really got to me. It really made me go down on myself and I lost so much confidence in myself. I believe that to this day, you are the reason why I am so shy, and why I have trouble speaking up for myself. One time you told me I wasn’t good enough. That was like a dagger to my heart. I even wrote a fantastic poem for it. That’s what I do. I write poems when I feel down or want to die. I have a whole book of them thanks to you and various other things. But mostly you. I mean, I do love you, don’t get me wrong. You are a great guy, but you get so angry it terrifies me, and you take all your anger out on me. You can be very abusive. You have knocked me down with all the hurtful words you’ve said. You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to report you and get you out of my life, but I was too scared as to what you would do to me if I did.

There is one thing I am definitely sure of though. You had no right to treat me that way. But of course, I am the one who has to pay for it all. I can’t recreate my childhood and grow up a different way. I have gone through what you have put me through and there are no do-overs. I am forever scarred. Thanks.

Your Daughter,
Taylor, age 17