The reality star visited her father, who she says left her family after divorcing her mom 30 years ago.
About five years ago, the formerOz Restaurant and Barowner attempted to contact her father on Facebook, asking if the two could connect. She said he blocked her.
“When I sit with myself, I think about my life and who I am and all that. I think about my dad a lot,” she added. “I have never known my dad … I’m tired of thinking about it. I need it for myself. I need to close this chapter of my life to look to the future.”
She continued: “This is something I’ve been thinking about a long time, reconnecting with my other side of my family. So what’s stopping me? As I’m trying to embark on starting a family, I’m thinking about my kid and what my kid will ask. They will want to know about their grandparents and their aunts and uncles. I feel like it’s a responsibility of mine to foster those relationship.” (She and her husband Michaelwelcomed their first child, a son named Dean, on July 7.)
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Her mother, Sheila Matthews, joined her journey, along with her father’s sister and brother-in-law, Aunt Sheila and Uncle Jim.
“I’ve attempted to try, but nothing has happened,” Sheila said. “Dad has not spoken to me since 2011. I really don’t know.” ”
“At this point in my life, I feel like I owe it to myself to make that effort and see what kind of response I get,” she added, admitting that while she was “scared,” she felt empowered. “Before, what would hold me back is this fear that he will reject me. But it’s not so scary that I couldn’t get on the plane.
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“All I know is I am looking for my daughter to finally having some form of closure in my life,” Matthews said.
“When I put myself in my dad’s shoes, I think the shame of having abandoned me is too much for him to bare,” she said. “He can’t confront it. But I’m hoping that my dad will feel a little more comfortable having Uncle Jim and Aunt Sheila there. Maybe he’ll be more receptive to having a conversation?”
“Oh my god,” Matthews said in the preview. “There’s your father.”
The Real Housewives of Potomacairs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
source: people.com
