Problems with my autistic dad
I'm 20f. I'm not sure how much this has to do with autism, but autism is a factor.
My dad tries to be nice but is very distant. He has a tendency to mock, hate, and get angry, but he tries to hide it. Sometimes though it will just come out. he isn't abusive or anything, and it isn't to a very serious degree, but it sometimes hurts those around him.
I really love my dad but he has been an absent father, especially when I became a teenager. when I was younger he was more involved and less negative. Now he barely spends any time with me, or anyone for that matter, and just gets angry with me. He tries to isolate as much as possible. It seems like his negative emotion is getting worse. He has no social life already and now he is disconnecting even more from his family who care about him.
Recently his work has been extremely stressful. He has been more stressed and prone to emotional outbursts, but he tries to control it. He is autistic, so it can be hard for him to regulate his emotions, but we know he tries his best. He certainly doesn't have much emotional maturity at all, and acts like a child, though he is very responsible, professional at work, and tries to be respectful.
Recently we got into an argument and since then it looks like he detests me. He will usually just scoff at me and leave. Sometimes we like to show each other things we find online and stuff, and when I try to show him something he will ignore me and walk away like I never did anything. When we do interact he looks...grumpy and resentful.
This is really hurting my feelings. I understand him because we are very similar in many ways, including in this way. Our autism is also very similar. We both have a tendency to resent people who hurt or offend us for a while and it usually resolves soon, but it has been days and he still hates me. Maybe it will get better when his work becomes less stressful?
Posted Apr 9, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC