To all of you out there that have to deal with an abusive father in your present or past, my heart and thoughts go out to you.  Father's Day must really be hard.  My father didn't abuse me although he was controlling when I was growing up.  My issues are my parents aren't supportive in the way that I need.  They believe that if you don't acknowledge the event, you don't have to deal with it and then of course, it doesn't exist.  WOW, wouldn't that be wonderful for all of us if we just didn't acknowledge our painful pasts and thus, they didn't exist!