I always felt like I wasn’t seen in my own house, like a ghost was watching from the background. My workaholic dad ran our family home, and my mom was his helper.
My brother Josh and I were just hanging out and wanting to connect and get attention. We chose to stand up for ourselves one day and teach our dad a lesson he’ll never forget.
It started out like any other night: dad got home, ignored us, and told mum to make dinner. But this time, Josh and I looked at each other and knew what we were doing. Our plan was now in motion. You know what? We were going to show dad what it’s like to be ignored and treated badly.
Our plan came together the next day. We put on dad’s clothes and acted like he did while we waited for him to get home. When he did, he was shocked by how we looked and how we behaved. We ignored and ignored him the same way he had ignored and ignored us for a long time.
The room went quiet as dad’s face went from being confused to realising what was going on. It woke him up when he saw himself through our eyes.
With tears in his eyes, he said sorry and started to make things right. His interest in our days, his willingness to listen, and his offer to help were all new to us.
There was hope in my heart as we ate a meal he had made. Things might not be the same after all. It wasn’t a magic answer, but it was a start. We were seen and felt like a family again.
That night, we cleaned the table together, which was a small thing that said a lot. We were no longer just ghosts in our own home when our dad finally showed up.
