Bob ** Bob ** • 2nd CEO, ** | Fmr. Navy SEAL 1st • I’ve been cutting my dad out of my life for 10+ years.

I blamed him for my parent's divorce...

Then I blamed him for other things in my life...

Then I ran out of reasons to be upset with him and decided I would just ignore him.

My mother made him look like shit, dead beat dad, abusive, distant, piece of shit, only interact with him a couple times a year, and usually only by text.

Last week, I would have told you that my relationship with my dad was going to stay broken forever.

This week I feel differently...

My dad came to visit us this past weekend... first time in a long time.

When I picked him up from the airport, it was awkward...

Years of anger and distance made even the simplest of conversations nearly impossible.

He told me how my mother cheated on him while he was on deployment, made his life hell, dragging him thru military divorce. She told him that she only married him for benefits and his 401K

But my kids were sitting in the backseat and when my dad got in the car, they were so happy to see him that it dawned on me how selfish I was being...

My resentment towards my dad isn’t accomplishing anything besides keeping my kids from their grandfather.

My dad doesn’t know it yet, but I've decided to forgive him and to try to build a new relationship with him, keeping my kids at the center of it.

I just hope he can forgive me too.

Takeaway: You get 1 family, treat them like you chose them.