Originally Posted by
Sasha1972 
I don't want to say "your father is a chronic liar, so I wouldn't believe this latest story. Plus, there's the whole mental illness piece which won't go away if he just dries out"
Can I ask why not? It's the truth, it's compassionate & it's more likely to occur than not.
I find this type of share to be perfect, especially since:
Originally Posted by Sasha1972
Kid knows he's an alcoholic,
What's the harm in honesty here? For me, with my daughter, this IS the best way to handle this situation. It helps her establish reasonable expectations & boundaries of her own AND it builds trust between us in the long run when I show her the respect of being honest even when I don't like the truth myself.
JMHO but sometimes we don't give our kids enough credit to handle the truth - even while we know they are growing up around all of this very adult dysfunction.