Dear MIMsters: I Need My Freedom From My Father’s Prison?
What must I do to get my freedom from my father’s prison?
I’m soon to be 24 and so frustrated right now because my dad sees my sisters and I as his properties. I’ve never been in a relationship because, my dad won’t let me.
I graduated last year from the university and I want to get married soon, but my problem is that my dad does not want us to get married. He always sends monitoring spirits in form of humans to monitor us wherever we go to and harasses any guy he sees us with without asking who the person is.
He warned us not to fall in love with any man, that if we ever fall in love, he’ll ensure we won’t get married to that man. He told us he never dated our mother so we won’t date any man. My dad also told us that none of us will get married until he builds a land in the village, but he has not even thought of buying a land not to talk of building a house.
Suitors came for my elder sister but dad refused all of them. He told us that he will marry us out to men he likes whenever he feels like. My elder sister is 25 years old now and is engaged to a man she met during her NYSC this year, but, my dad knows nothing about it. My mum warned her not to tell my dad because he won’t give his consent to the marriage.
I am ready to get married, the guys who were sweet that met me for marriage are now very disrespectful after learning about how my sisters and I are being treated by my dad. They feel like they are doing me a favour, so I turned all of them down.
I will be among this year’s NYSC batch C and I believe I will find a good man for marriage, but, my question is, will my father give his consent? I jokingly told my mum this evening that I will soon be married and my mum told me not to say that in the presence of my dad. She told me that my dad said I’m still far from being married. She told me he will refuse it when I told her that I’m old enough to get married, she told me that my paternal relatives that are up to 27 years old are not yet married and I’m disturbing them because of marriage.
I don’t know what to do as my parents won’t even allow any one of us to go out for occasions (like weddings nor birthday parties). At my age, I have never been to a traditional nor white wedding. I have only attended two kids birthday parties when I was a kid (less than 10 years old. My sisters and I are not even allowed to bring our female friends to our house nor go to their houses. My dad believes that every other girl child is a prostitute and would tags us as one if he sees us with any girl. I don’t even have a friend at my age. I need serious advice. I am really depressed now.