 Hey there, Psych2Goers! What kind of relationship do you have with your parents? Your early childhood experiences have an impact on who you grow up to be. How your parents treat you growing up can stay with you for a long time because it tells you a lot about how they see you and, in turn, how you should feel about yourself. It's why having a toxic relationship with your parents can have such a detrimental, long-lasting impact on your life. In this video, we'll be looking at father-daughter relationships in particular. So, without further ado, here are six signs of an unhealthy father-daughter relationship. Number one. He's an absentee father. Has your father been there for you growing up? Whether it's because of divorce, having his own other family, or a career abroad, you may have had a father who was never really present in your life. He may have been absent for milestones, special occasions, and for the moments when you needed him the most. As a result, it might have left a significant hole in your heart. Ultimately, a sign of an unhealthy father-daughter relationship is when your father was never there when you really needed him to be or when he never made much of an effort to be there for you. Number two. He's emotionally unavailable. Similarly, even if your father was actually present in your life, either living with you or co-parenting you, it's still an unhealthy relationship if he is emotionally closed off and distant all the time. Instead of offering you comfort when you're upset or sharing in your joy whenever you accomplish something, you may just show disinterest. Fathers like this may have no interest in fostering a relationship with their children at all. They may see their role as mainly to provide for your family through other means such as financially. Number three. He's overly controlling. Does your father make every decision for you? The opposite of the absentee and emotionally distant father, but whose every bit just is toxic, is the overly controlling father. Fathers who are like this towards their daughters tend to be strict, authoritative, and demanding. Although some of them might really have their child's best interest at heart, they may have trouble giving up control and allowing their daughters the freedom they need to make their own mistakes, explore the world, and discover who they are in their own terms, all of which contribute greatly to a person's sense of self-esteem, self-worth, mental health, and satisfaction with life. Number four. There are unclear boundaries. As with any other relationship, clear personal boundaries need to be established in order for both parties to feel safe, valued, and respected. However, often times when it comes to parents, many of them unfortunately think that because they're the ones who had raised you and brought you into this world, that it gives them the right to treat you however they want. And with toxic father-daughter relationships, this might look like invading your privacy, disregarding your feelings, and making your decisions for you without even asking you or giving you a good reason why. Number five. There's a lack of open communication. Are you able to talk to each other honestly? Despite what it seems, children arguing with their parents can actually be a good thing sometimes because it shows that they feel comfortable enough to share and express their true feelings with each other. A lack of open communication in your relationship may be a cause for concern since it can lead to a lot of deception, secrecy, resentment, and passive aggressiveness between father and daughter. And number six. There are unrealistic expectations and constant comparisons. Last, but certainly not least, if your father sets unrealistic expectations for you or constantly compares you to other daughters, then your relationship is most likely not a very healthy one. This demand for perfection from you at all times may be because they see parenting as some sort of competition where they can win. Fathers like this often don't care much about the amount of effort you put into something or how it makes you feel. What matters is how your achievements and failures reflect on them. As a result, they may never be happy with you until you're the most successful and most accomplished person they know. But these are just unrealistic demands that they somehow expect you to meet in order to win the love they should have freely given in the first place. Did you relate to any of the things we've mentioned? Let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe, and share this video with those who might benefit from it. And don't forget to hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever Psych2Go posts a new video. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you in our next video.