Dear Father (If I should call you that),

A father is one a young girl looks up to for all her life. He guides her to make the right decisions. He is the one you can always hear cheering from the sidelines at all your games and a daughter’s first love. However, for some young girls, this man is just a figment of our imagination. We began to make up what we would like our fathers to be. In all reality, all we have is our moms and siblings. Who began to be more than you could ever think.

Without you being around, I had to experience sadness, as other girls would talk about the daddy-daughter dances. Without you being around, I had to look to my older brother for the guidance the father was supposed to provide. Without you being around, I never got the chance to know what the other half of my ethnicity is like. Without you being around, my mother had to provide for me by herself. Without you being around, I had to lie when people asked me I even knew my father in fear of my mother or I being judged. Without you being around, I began seeking for the love you did not give through other men. Without you being around, I sat around and ignored everyone when father’s day gifts where spoken. Without being around, I wondered why you left.

However, throughout my childhood, I have never once said I hate you because honestly I do not. I want to thank you for not being there. I never had to deal with empty promises from a “revolving door” father. Thank you for showing me that a broken family is actually still whole. I was able to have close relationships with my mom, brother, and sister. I know what I characteristics I need from a future husband. Thank you for making me strong from the insecurities you had a helping hand in. I know that one woman could be everything a man is. Lastly, thank you for allowing me to realize that I do not need a man to be happy. I realize that I am not the only one who missed out.

You missed my very first steps. You missed my homemade holiday gifts. You missed me learning how to cook. You missed my very first driving lesson. You missed me going on my first date. You missed all the proms I attended. You missed my college acceptance. My high school graduation. My college move-in day. You missed a young woman who loves life, strives to help people in any way possible, goofy, sensitive, goal oriented, and selfless woman.

Thank you for showing me that in the end, any woman could take a man’s place in a young girls heart. In addition, thank you for showing me that I am not the one who lucked out in the end.

Sincerely,

Your “daughter”