Story short, my father is a hard-working honest guy who has slaved every day of his life since his first kid was born to give us everything he could. He came from a very poor and abusive upbringing from what he’s told me (mom was teen mom, drunk dad, raised by his grandma and her 19 other kids). When he graduated he went straight to the Navy and served 8 years and got an apprenticeship to become an electrician while on board. He got to travel the world and it was the best time of his life. Then he came back to visit his home when his adoptive mother/grandmother died, met my mother, accidentally knocked her up and my mother leeched onto him from there. He quit the Navy and became an electrician, and my mother saddled him down with three kids. She’s been unemployed since and does nothing but lounge around all day and sometimes clean. She’s incredibly manipulative and abusive to everyone in the house. She drinks way too often and is always buying useless junk that drains my father’s credit card. She’s always critical and rude to him and thinks she has the right to all his property on the grounds that ‘we’re married so it’s mine now’. He seems so depressed and has 0 friends because he’s always working to provide for us. My oldest sister is turning exactly into my mom and I think it’s breaking his heart to see that.

I genuinely think my mother is manipulative to him and that he would be so much happier if he left. I don’t know how to suggest he leave her though. The only thing really holding him here is me and my youngest sister (older sister moved out years ago).

I intend on following in his footsteps and joining the Navy for a few years before going into nuclear physics. I want to try and help him out of this before I leave though. Any advice?

Edit: I realize it’s not my place but I want my dad to be happy. He’s the most important figure in my life and he’s talked about how depressed he is unable to live his life the way he intended. Now that 2/3 of us will be out of his life, I want him to have his life back.