I [14M] met my father for the first time yesterday. I'm really disappointed and I don't know if I want to met the rest of them anymore.

I met my Dad for the first time when I was 15 and it was pretty awkward for me (for him too I'm sure). Through everything you see with other families, and Dads on TV I had this idea of what a Dad is supposed to be. When I met him, he was just some guy... a stranger. We had nothing really in common, he was just some dude to me.

He wasn't a bad guy, and didn't come off douchey like yours did. He had a wife and 3 kids, and was just a regular person, but we had zero connection. He lived on the opposite coast from me so establishing a relationship would be difficult, and I personally didn't care to.

He died several months after we met. I felt bad that I would never have that connection in my life, but that was the extent of it. I did go back and meet one of his brothers and my 2 half brothers and half sister. They were all wonderful, really nice people.

From my sort of similar experience, I wouldn't judge the rest of the family based on what you saw from your Father. They may actually be nice people who can give you an insight to your ancestors, genetics, etc... They may also be able to explain your Fathers behavior when you met him. And if they're like him, you can simply cut them out of your life. You won't be left with any questions when you get older.

I didn't gain any value as a person for meeting my Dad's family, but I was still happy to have met them and get to know who they were. You seem to be a good judge of character, surround yourself with friends and adults who seem like good people, and you can learn from them.

/r/relationships Thread