How do you think Billie’s life would have turned out if her father had lived?
If Billie’s father had lived, she would have experienced genuine love, laughter and support. None of which she received from her mother.
1 Like
I agree with Melissa. I think he would have nurtured her in a way that would have improved her spirit and would have encouraged her to improve her life.
I think on one hand she would have had more fun, taken on less “adult” responsibilities and she would have built stronger relationships, based on the fact that her father spent time with her.
On the other hand, I feel her father was such a nomad and a flake she would not have had her Colorado adventure.
I like to think that perhaps her father would have recognized her intelligence and encouraged her to do something with her life and would have helped to provided opportunities for her to do so. Wishful thinking perhaps.
Billie likely would have had a better childhood and teen years. She might have joined him in the summer months. What might he have told her about her mother, though? Daddy did like being on the road without his family, too. He seemed to be able to provide the family with money, but there was a huge wall between the parents, which Billie would have felt more forcefully had he lived.
I’d like to think her life would have had more love and been easier overall. If her father lived and mostly had a positive impact on Billie, it could have made for a different story.
If he had lived, Billie likely would’ve had more emotional grounding and advocacy. He might have helped interpret the world for her and protect her from some of the harsher misunderstandings she faces. Without him, she’s left navigating everything alone, which intensifies both her isolation and her inner world.
His love for her was unconditional whereas others expected her to conform to the norm and not be an “odd wad.” I think she felt that she had to earn their love; her father gave it freely.
I think she would have been a different person, had more confidence in herself. She would have had the love from her father that she did not get from her mother.
While I think that her father would have provided more love and nurturing, I’m afraid that the deteriorating relationship between her mother and father may have made Billie see him differently as she got older.
If her father lived she would have experienced real love and happy times. Most people either ignored, hurt or were mean to Billie. So sad.
I think Billie’s life would have been happier and easier if her father had not died when she was just eight .Her dad loved her and accepted her as she was and did not criticize her for being different. He loved her and enjoyed being with her. He also served as a buffer for Billie by softening her mother’s negativity.
I think the loss of this important source of human connection, of genuine affection, was enormous. I think his advocacy would have helped her self-esteem. Her mother was unable to provide this vital energy, which had ramifications for the rest of her life.
I think Billie’s father would have softened and helped translate the world for her. He seemed to really notice her and offered encouragement, which she didn’t get elsewhere. I believe he would have advocated for her and possibly guided her toward opportunities as she grew older. I don’t think her life would have been dramatically different—she still would have faced the same challenges—but she would have had someone in her corner, and that could have made a meaningful difference
Billie idolized her father’s memory and although he was probably the more loving of her parents, considering the time period, I’m not sure her life would have been very much different had he lived. He appeared to be gone more than he was home but growing up in a two-parent household with a somewhat steady income might have made her feel more “normal” and be less anxious.
Sometimes it just takes one person to really make a child feel they are seen. Billie’s dad loved and accepted her, when she lost him she lost her champion. If he had lived her life would have been so much easier.
I think Billie’s life would be drastically different. She would have experienced parental love and would have been more comfortable in social situations.
Billie, like most kids, has an idea of who her father is. She sees a small part of him. If he had lived her life may have been different but not necessarily any better.
I, too, wondered if her relationship with her father would have been as attentive and nurturing as it seemed in her childhood. I suspected he would continue to wander.