Dear Dr. Laura, 

My father and mother were divorced when I was 3 years old due to his cheating ways. Because of you, I have come to realize a lot of the problems I have had in my life have come from his absence. I was promiscuous at a very young age which lead to a series of very bad choices. Then I married at a young age to an older man - looking for the love I never got from my father. 

When he remarried and made more babies, I was devastated. I was still a teenager at the time and felt completely unlovable. He never even cared enough to pay child support. When I was going through my divorce, I talked about moving near to where he lived.  He told me in no uncertain terms to not do that. I kept feeling like that little girl who just wanted her daddy to love her.  

But after listening to your show, I realized I was trying to kiss the butt of a complete jackass.  If he was not my dad, I would have stopped long ago. The little girl inside me grieves for a father who never really existed. It is freeing to move on without that anchor around my neck. 

Now, I have a wonderful husband who treats me better than I ever could have imagined was possible. At least with him, I was smart enough to pick a real man and not someone to fill in for my dad. Little girls need their dads to be invested in their lives. I just wish more parents out there would understand the long lasting and devastating affects it has on their daughter's lives. 

Thanks you so much for all you do, with your help and my husband's support, I am finally feeling lovable again. 

Andrea