Hi there,
Thank you for taking the time to write to me.
It sounds as though you have not been able to have any contact with your dad for a long time. Perhaps some things about him might have been told to you by other people. It can be hard to know what to do in a situation like this and it sounds like a confusing time for you.
You haven't said who it was that told you that you can see him when you are 13. I wonder if this person is somebody who could maybe answer some questions about your dad before you make any decisions. For example, if your dad was taken away because he was violent towards your mum then you might want to know if he has had any treatment or support to help him to cope with his anger. It might be good to know this before you put yourself in any danger.
If you're not sure about what rights you have when it comes to somebody making you see him, or if somebody is trying to stop you from seeing him, then it might be worth looking at The Childrens Legal Centre. This tells you what your legal rights are when it comes to things like this.
You have asked for help in making a decision and you dont tell me anything about your mum or how she might feel about this. I wonder if you have thought about talking it through with one of the counsellors at ChildLine. They are there to listen and help you to explore your feelings around things like this. You can talk to them online using the 1-2-1 chat service or you can call on 0800 1111. You can tell a ChildLine counsellor as much or as little as you want to.
Take care
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
