Today, I became the parent of a teenager, as my daughter Chloe - TopicsExpress

Today, I became the parent of a teenager, as my daughter Chloe turns 13. Thirteen years ago I vividly remember the drive to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town, a young, overwhelmed, nervous, excited father-to-be… Her arrival in my life set in motion a sequence of events that have radically changed my life for the better. For starters, it was when I carried her for the first time and I made a quiet promise to myself, to do everything in my power to make her life better…to remove the questions and challenges that plagued me as a child and teenager growing up, so that she could just focus on being the best possible version of “herself” she could possibly be. To this end I set out to attempt to definitively answer the questions that troubled me so much as a teenager ie. “What is a coloured and where do I fit in?”…the journey I embarked on led to the creation of the website bruinou and set me on a path of personal enlightenment and mental emancipation that I will be forever grateful to her for unwittingly initiating. I’m glad that my daughter has embraced her unique ancestry and moved “beyond identity”, something which I’ve been actively learning to do. When I think back to when I turned 13 and effectively declared war on the world, the establishment and essentially, myself, I am grateful to have a daughter that is nothing like the wild, rebellious teenager I was. The past 13 years haven’t been easy and it’s in attempting to look through the eyes of my daughter that I find purpose and context for my life when the going gets tough… I’m looking forward to the next 13 years…I just wish my mother was here to see our “Chloesy” become a teenager. I look forward to being there for my daughter, motivating her, supporting her, guiding her and helping her to be the best possible version of herself she can possibly be. Happy birthday Chloe! With all the love a human heart can muster... From your BFF (Big Fat Father)