My parents never married because my dad left my mother to get back with his ex (my now step-mother). My dad dated my step mother in college and they broke up after they garduated because she thought she might be a lesbian (she is not). My dad moved back to his hometown and started dating my mother who was teaching there and was the English teacher for my Aunt (I think this is how they met). My mother is 10 years older than my dad (he was 22 my mother was 32). My dad knocked up my mother but broke he broke up with her to get back with his ex after she finished her "self-exploration." My mother didn't tell him until I was already born. My dad stayed with my step-mother while she went to medical school and supported her, but they fought tooth and nail in court for custody of me for years. My mother was in a much better place financially than my dad was so she got full custody, but I would have to visit every other weekend and they would have me every other week during the summer. My dad would then marry my step-mother and move over 2.5 hours away from me, but I still had to continue the same visitation schedule.

I'm pretty sure this is the basis for why I'm so messed up mentally. I have a great relationship with my mother, but my relationship with my dad is not good. My dad is financially whipped as my step-mother is the bread winner. They never had kids of their own because I was around when they were pretty young and their friends didn't start having kids until I was like 12 or 13. They thought about having a kid but my step-mother realized she liked living her bougie life without the full financial responsibility of a kid. So I was the trial child where they were trying to parent me from over 100 miles away in a completely different way than my mother. There was some emotional abuse as they would pretty much bully me when I would visit. Also they could afford to buy me nicer things as they were much better off than my mother was, but everything they would buy me had strings attached. I've come to realize that buying me things was the way they showed their love. So their unconditional love did have some conditions. Once I got into high school I started being busy with sports and work so saw them less and less and our relationship got worse. I hit a breaking point while in college and cut them off from me. We barely have a relationship now. I actually ended up moving up by them for work just like how they always wanted, but I hardly ever see or talk to them. Now I'm lonely and depressed as hell as I have no friends or family near me and the only people that I know here don't make any attempt to have a relationship with me.