Even as a grown man, Isaam is still struggling with his childhood abandonment by his father. Isaam, who lives in Newark, NJ, says his father has been in and out of his life (sometimes disappearing for years at a time), continuously lying to and disappointing his sons. Along with his brother Chon, Isaam says he has spent decades living in pain -- but now it's time to confront those feelings and his father head-on.
On the season finale of "Iyanla: Fix My Life," airing this Saturday, Iyanla travels to Newark to help set these men on the path to forgiveness. In the above video, Iyanla tells Isaam that she too grew up fatherless and asks him how many times he wound up waiting on his front porch for his absent father to one day come home.
"Earlier on, I was always hopeful that he'd show up," Isaam admits. "Every car that comes by -– is that him? Or maybe he's walking. Maybe he's around the corner. Maybe he's in traffic. Maybe there's some reason why he's not here or why I've been waiting so long."
The seemingly endless wait can shatter young sons. Though little boys are often told to stop crying, Iyanla says that Isaam should give himself permission to let the tears flow. "Cry your little heart out," she says in the video. "That's where your healing comes [from]."
As Isaam's eyes tear up, Iyanla asks him what his younger self would want to say to his father. Several times, Isaam tries to speak, but his emotions overcome him. Finally, he asks the heartbreaking question many fatherless sons have asked themselves time and again.
"'Do you even love me?'" he wonders, voice shaking. "Do you even like me?"
The season finale of "Iyanla: Fix My Life" airs Saturday, December 14, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.
Related
Before You Go
