[Anonymous]

My Dad has no respect for me or my Mum. He swears at her all the time. This morning he called her a slut because the bathroom was a bit untidy. This has lead to my 3 younger brothers having no respect for women. They bully me and hit me despite me being the oldest and they treat my mum like a slave. My Dad is probably autistic so he can't talk any criticism and if I try and talk calmly he ends up shouting and making my youngest brother cry.

Lately, my Dad has been talking to all these women online and he even met up with one and spent the day with her. However, he won't ever spend time with any of us, his children. He keeps saying he's going to leave my Mum and move abroad and I'm scared if he does because I know we'll never see him ever again. He doesn't really care about us children, he just bribes us with money whenever we argue with him so that we forgive him.

I'm scared because my Mum is weak (hence why she hasn't left him yet) and I'm scared on how the family dynamic will change without my Dad. He has a temper and no job and nothing keeping him around here. He's also depressed and been suicidal so I'm scared in what he'll do. I just don't know what to do, I'm so scared of them breaking up. Please give me some advice. :'(

[jcholzz]

Talk to a close family member! Although, splitting up does seem like its for the best. I'm sure your dad DOES love you, so don't worry.

[1992LP]

Your Mum is not weak, she just wants to keep your family together for the sake of you and your siblings.

Besides that, I can't offer too much advice as I was not in the same situation. The poster above has the right idea - speak to a family member who knows the situation and what is going on. They will be able to help more than we can.

I really hope this works out for you, I know exactly what it is like for a family to split up