DEAR DEIDRE: I CAN’T imagine being a dad because both my parents were abusive.

I’m 39 and, despite enduring a traumatic childhood, I’ve managed to carve out a decent life for myself – until now.

My girlfriend, who is 37, just announced that she’s pregnant and the news has crushed me.

I told her that I didn’t want kids, but despite my fears around starting a family she’s insistent that she’s keeping the baby.

The news has triggered unwanted feelings of dread and brought back some dark childhood memories.

How can I be a good parent when I never had one?

Get in touch with the Dear Deidre team

Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.

Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.

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DEIDRE SAYS: You’ve bottled up your feelings surrounding your child-hood for years and maybe now is the time to work through them.

You could be experiencing symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder.

Counselling can really help you work through these troubling emotions.

My support pack How Counselling Can Help explains more.

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