I never wanted kids, until I met my wife and her daughter. She became mine in every way that counts.
As a teen, she embraced goth style. My wife hated it, hid her clothes, and tried to “fix” her. I told her hiding who she was wouldn’t work. That night, I found my daughter crying. I promised I didn’t need to understand her taste—I just loved her.
She grew into an artist, applied to college in secret, and later admitted she only trusted me to believe in her. Even when tragedy shook her confidence, I reminded her she’d always known who she was.
She kept going. She won awards, graduated, and started teaching kids to embrace themselves. She once said, “You made being me okay.”
I still don’t get her music or her style. But I know love isn’t control—it’s showing up.
I never wanted kids. But I got the best one anyway.
