From cute photos to heartwarming messages, people are going all out to celebrate their dads as the world marks Father’s Day on Sunday, June 15.
However, for a young Nigerian woman, Okorie Chiamaka Blessing, the day reminds her of a father who, according to her, made her childhood feel like a horror story with no commercial breaks.
In a Facebook post, Chiamaka recalled a childhood marred by “pain, tears, fear and trauma.”
“Today, as the world showers fathers with praises, I choose to raise a glass not in admiration, but in awe. Awe of how consistent you were… consistent in teaching me that monsters don’t live under the bed, they live in your own house.
To the man who gave me the gift of sleepless nights and taught me the art of walking on eggshells, thank you. Because of you, I mastered the fine skill of pretending everything’s fine even when my world is on fire.
Cheers to the man who taught me what love is not. The man whose touch made my skin crawl, whose words were daggers cloaked as fatherly advice. You showed me that some heroes wear no capes they just hide their claws in plain sight.
Oh, how I cherish the memories, the lessons in fear, the lectures in pain, the exams in survival. You were my greatest teacher. Because of you, I learned to smile through pain, laugh through tears, and build walls so high no one dares to climb.
Father’s Day, abi? A day to honor the man who made my childhood feel like a horror story with no commercial breaks. A day to celebrate you, who taught me how to recognize manipulation, lies, and the kind of love that leaves bruises no one sees.
So today, I say thank you. Thank you for the trauma that became my strength. Thank you for the nightmares that taught me to appreciate peaceful sleep . Thank you for showing me who not to be.
Here is to you, father, the man who helped me find my voice by trying so hard to silence it. The man who taught me what resilience looks like because I had to build it piece by piece, from the shards you left behind.
Happy Father’s Day. May your legacy remind the world that not all fathers deserve to be celebrated.
