After my parents divorced, my dad picked up a prescription drug habit and became more involved in rather cult-like churches. His behavior was erratic and he was becoming paranoid about everything. He was convinced there was a volcano under our house and wouldn't let me use anything but bottled water (even to shower), he was convinced Anne Rice had stolen his ideas for vampire novels, he didn't want me to go to college because he felt I should be at home until I married a Christian man, and he constantly showed up to my mom's house or her work to "check in" on us all. All sorts of random, controlling behavior that in small stories didn't seem like much, but in the aggregate was awful. My mom, sister, and I were in constant fear and stress from him, and he made us all feel like it was always our fault.

When I was in my senior year of high school, he and I got into an argument about college. He didn't want me to go, and I said that wasn't an option. He became very aggressive to the point where he was holding me against the wall, screaming at me. He let up briefly and I grabbed my car keys and ran out the door. I got to my car and drove to my moms house, at which point he called my mom and said he disowned me. I had to give back everything he bought me - my car, phone, laptop, clothes, everything. He stopped paying the little bit of child support he occasionally gave my mom, and my mom and I had to move into a one bedroom apartment together.

It's been 7 years since then, and I couldn't be happier. My mom, sister, and I are all doing well for ourselves in every way. We each have beautiful families and we're incredibly close. Our day to day is so easy going. I've heard from a family member who still speaks to my dad that he's "willing to forgive us if we all apologize." Sounds like he hasn't changed a bit.