When a Father Refuses to See the Damage He’s Done

The question haunts anyone who’s witnessed it up close:

How does Mark Anthony Stephens not know how much he’s hurt his kids? Especially Liam?

After all, the signs are unmistakable.
The professionals have told him.
The documents are in black and white.
Liam himself has spoken—through symptoms, tears, and brave admissions.

So how does Mark not know?

The answer is both simple and devastating:

He does know. But he can’t afford to admit it.

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1. Admitting It Would Destroy His Self-Image

Mark has built an entire persona around being the persecuted, righteous father.

• The spiritual leader.
• The misunderstood hero.
• The victim of corrupt systems.
• The savior of his children from “toxins,” “witchcraft,” and “lies.”

To accept that he has been the source of psychological trauma, medical sabotage, and emotional manipulation—he’d have to dismantle that identity brick by brick.

And people like Mark don’t do that.
They build the lie higher.

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2. DARVO Is His Default Defense

Mark lives in the cycle of DARVO:
Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.

When Liam’s psychiatrist, Dr. Rao, explained the depth of harm and delay caused by Mark’s alternative health beliefs and coercive behavior, Mark didn’t respond with reflection.

He responded with:

• Denial: “ARFID isn’t real.”
• Attack: “They’re just in it for the money.”
• Reversal: “They’re poisoning my son! I’m the real victim here!”

This pattern allows him to avoid responsibility—forever—while framing himself as a martyr.

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3. He Mistakes Control for Care

In Mark’s worldview:

• Restricting food is “natural health.”
• Undermining psychiatry is “protection.”
• Disrupting games and filming chaos is “defending his rights.”
• Pressuring Liam to sign a false document is “truth-telling.”

He equates domination with love.

So when a professional tells him, “You’re hurting your child,” he doesn’t hear a warning.
He hears a threat to his power.

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4. He Lacks the Empathy to Hear His Son

Liam has been clear—even if he’s not screaming it out loud.

He’s shown it:

• In vomiting within hours of returning to his father’s house.
• In thriving only when away from his father.
• In expressing fear, anxiety, and deep discomfort around visits.

And yet, Mark calls him his “best friend forever.”
Why?

Because it’s easier to reimagine your child as an ally than admit they’re trying to survive you.

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5. He’s Addicted to the Victim Narrative

Mark’s online persona thrives on outrage and attention.
Being wrong would mean giving that up.

He doesn’t get applause for accountability.
He gets it for fighting imaginary dragons: CPS, ex-wives, Big Pharma, liberal parents, and now even Liam’s doctors.

Truth isn’t profitable.
Victimhood is.

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6. He Might Know—But He’ll Never Admit It

The tragedy isn’t that he’s unaware.
It’s that he knows just enough to bury it deeper.

• That sick feeling when he sees Liam shrink during visits? He explains it away.
• The clinical reports he’s read? Twisted into conspiracy.
• The contract Liam was forced to sign? Mark waves it like a trophy.

He doesn’t ask how Liam is doing.
He declares it.

Because declaring control feels safer than receiving the truth.

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Final Thought: Knowing Isn’t Always the Problem. Admitting Is.

Mark can’t see what he refuses to face.

Because if he ever lets in the truth—really lets it in—he’d have to live with the reality that:

• He didn’t just fail his son.
• He actively harmed him.
• And even when told, again and again, he chose himself instead.

Until then, Mark will keep calling Liam his “best friend forever.”
Because it’s easier to pretend you’re close than admit you’re the reason he’s hurting.