05/09/2026
Here’s my Dad. Wally. 🤍
A man who single-handedly tackled raising two daughters.
It wasn’t always conventional. There were hard seasons, bumps along the way, and plenty we probably didn’t get right. But somewhere in amongst it all, we found our way.
I think there’s a different kind of understanding that comes when you begin to see life through the lens of another.
Now, as a boy mum raising three strong men of my own, I find myself looking back with a little more tenderness. I wonder about the challenges my Dad must have faced raising two daughters — and I’m grateful that he never made us feel less capable because we were girls.
That stays with me.
As a strong woman, I hope I can play my own small part in creating a softer way forward. A world where strength doesn’t mean standing alone. Where men feel empowered to stand beside women, support them, champion them — and where we can all be strong enough to let each other be strong too.
And perhaps my own imperfect childhood has taught me something else.
That families are complicated.
That relationships can be complicated.
That everyone carries a story.
So today, I hold a little space for those whose relationship with their Dad has been complicated.
For those who have lost their Dad.
And for those who never had one to begin with.
Because none of our journeys are the same.
Some are smooth. Some are a little more bumpy. And some are still finding their way.
Today, I’m thinking of the special men in our lives — the ones who have shaped us, stood beside us, challenged us, loved us and, in their own way, helped make us who we are.
Happy Father’s Day. 🤍
May our journeys become softer with time
