If you were a child, you likely have daddy issues.  You likely have mommy issues, as well, however there are more serious effects of having daddy issues than what’s usually considered common.  In fact, the effects of daddy issues on children can be devastating later in the child’s life—especially in young adulthood in ways like dating, friendships, social circles, and the workplace—alongside the developmental phase when the issues first occur.  Below are just 15 daddy issues that take hold on children’s lives and the consequences that unfortunately follow from the absent father figure.
Avoidance of significant friendships
Due to the yearning of a father figure, children could be turned off to having friendships simply because they’re constantly looking to fill the missing father role. Another reason why children might avoid social circles is because the social circles aren’t looking for the same thing they are — father validation — so the kids with daddy issues usually cling together, only making their problems worse.
Seeking a father figure
Without a dad around, girls (and boys too) find themselves looking for a father figure throughout their maturing life.
Intense yearning for a father to tell them what to do
Where girls have their mothers to look up to as role models (for better or for worse), boys have trouble being focused without a dad around due to no male role model. When the boys do look up toward their mother, this next issue occasionally takes place…
Masculine validation
Without a father around, children can’t receive masculine validation in their life. This usually effects boys the most by becoming insecure about themselves due to the lack of real, healthy dad in their life.
Argumentative behavior
Due to the unhealthy father figure in their life — or lack thereof — girls tend to have argumentative behavior with other men. This happens because the girl wants the father figure validation that she isn’t getting elsewhere, so she lashes out.
Aggressive and unfair behavior towards women
With boys, the argumentative behavior generally comes out towards the girls they date. Unfortunately, this occurs because the boy learned how to treat women from the only father figure in his life, the bad dad.
Toleration of abusive behavior
Sadly, girls tend to tolerate horrible conditions in their relationships with boys because their mom put up with it. “Because dad did it,” is the unfortunate excuse for most daddy issues.
Toleration of substance abuse
The stereotype that daddy needs a drink after work doesn’t sound so great when this is revealed. If children are raised to know that their dad has to get drunk in order to do anything, then the rest of their meaningful relationships will reflect that.
Dating can be extremely unhealthy
Once the children grow up, daddy issues can affect them by making it difficult to see the good in people. Even when it’s clear as day, the unfortunate father figure problems are well embedded in their head.
Sexual promiscuity and aggressiveness
Perhaps the biggest stereotype for having daddy issues, being promiscuous ends up opening a lot of dangerous doors in a young girl’s life. Her father not being there to teach her otherwise, and with mom most likely advocating it or simply not having enough control because dad is gone, makes this the most common trait of daddy issues.
Serial dating
Another unfortunate stereotype with daddy issues, serial dating occurs more in girls than boys. Jumping around from boy to boy (and, sadly inevitably, man to man) to fill the father figure hole. However, boys are affected by this by never being able to trust girls with their feelings — which might only fuel their own daddy issues.
Dating older men
When their father is absent, girls will look almost anywhere to alleviate their daddy issues. Dating older men is a common trait in people with daddy issues.
Competition with other male figures
Boys tend to believe that their in constant competition with the other boys in their life, as they value a father figure as the utmost important role in life. They themselves are also missing a functional father figure.
Unruly anger towards men
Girls occasionally will get irrationally mad at men that aren’t even bothering them. This overextends into relationships, work relationships, and other aspects through the girl (and boy’s) life.
Dysfunctional behavior is considered normal
One of the sadder aspects of having daddy issues is the belief that all of this is okay. The feelings of yearning for a father figure, argumentative behavior, and toleration of abusive dynamics could go completely uneducated upon throughout the child’s life, never fully recovering from the absent dad.