California Love
New member
I have memory recall issues due to a severe motorcycle accident I had 9 years ago, and as a result, I’m on permanent disability. I also struggle with language processing during conversations. This has made it difficult for me to communicate with my teenage daughter, especially when she gets argumentative. She tends to focus on specific words in a sentence, which often causes her to miss the overall message. This leads to frustration and anger on both sides.
My question is: should I be stepping away from conflicts with her altogether? I try to avoid arguments for this reason. When my wife and daughter are going back and forth—often speaking rapidly—I'm left on the sidelines trying to process what’s being said so I can respond. By the time I’ve figured it out, I often forget my point. If I don’t say anything, though, it feels like the only conversations I ever have with my daughter are small talk when she's in a good mood. More than once, a conversation has shifted from the real issue to a focus on one word I used, and it completely derails the discussion. My daughter will sometimes deflect, saying “Dad probably forgot,” and my wife will agree with her. It’s incredibly frustrating.
It often feels like my role in the family has become just to stay quiet and handle the chores—cooking and cleaning—without being involved in meaningful conversations. On top of that, I’m also dealing with chronic pain from the accident, which only adds to the difficulty. Most days, I find myself retreating into silence to avoid people and conversations while I'm in physical pain.
My question is: should I be stepping away from conflicts with her altogether? I try to avoid arguments for this reason. When my wife and daughter are going back and forth—often speaking rapidly—I'm left on the sidelines trying to process what’s being said so I can respond. By the time I’ve figured it out, I often forget my point. If I don’t say anything, though, it feels like the only conversations I ever have with my daughter are small talk when she's in a good mood. More than once, a conversation has shifted from the real issue to a focus on one word I used, and it completely derails the discussion. My daughter will sometimes deflect, saying “Dad probably forgot,” and my wife will agree with her. It’s incredibly frustrating.
It often feels like my role in the family has become just to stay quiet and handle the chores—cooking and cleaning—without being involved in meaningful conversations. On top of that, I’m also dealing with chronic pain from the accident, which only adds to the difficulty. Most days, I find myself retreating into silence to avoid people and conversations while I'm in physical pain.