Dear Daddy, Do You Remember When You Loved Me?

Dear Daddy, Do You Remember When You Love Me? chronicles the relationship between a father and daughter, which began as strong and as loving as a relationship ever could. As a little girl she always felt cherished and protected, knowing she was safe as long as he was there. She was his little princess. Life was full of love and laughter, fun filled days at the beach, and singing songs together in the car. The relationship changed dramatically when, at thirteen, she made what he deemed an unforgivable mistake. Suddenly she was no longer daddy?s little princess, but rather someone he now simply seemed to tolerate, criticizing her and finding fault with everything she did. Feeling frightened and unprotected, she struggled with her new role in his life while self-doubt and insecurity overwhelmed every aspect of her life. After trying to fight her way out of the abyss for ten exhausting years, she received help from an unexpected source. She gained tremendous strength from this source and learned to live a fuller and richer life. Until one day when bad news struck, and she was plunged back into the darkness once more. She found herself taking care of her father amidst many mixed emotions such as love, compassion, anger, and resentment, but mostly love. Her love was unconditional. All she ever wanted from him was to hear the words, ?I?m proud of you??

I have many happy memories of my childhood. Dad and I had a unique and amazing bond that on some level sustained us for a lifetime, even through the darkness that became my life. Although he was the cause of my darkness and detached himself from me emotionally, he remained a figure who was larger than life to me. He wanted to love me; I am certain of it, he simply did not know how to fix what was broken inside of him.

My journey has cost me a lifetime thus far, but now that I have crossed through the darkness and into the light, I want to share this experience with as many people that I possibly can. I hope to remind parents just how critical it is for our children to know that we love them unconditionally even when they make mistakes. I hope to remind parents to 'say the words' and to have forgiveness in their hearts.

If I can succeed in doing this, then my journey was worth the ride. Every child should learn to spread his or her wings and fly.