Growing up,
I never really understood
the role of a man in my life
My mother was everything—
provider, nurturer, protector.
She made sure I lacked nothing,
even when she was struggling
So when I learned in school that
the father is \'the head of the family and sole provider,\'
it felt foreign
I had no father figure to embody that
My reality was different:
my mom carried it all,
and for that, I will bless her until my last breath.
When she remarried,
my stepdad was distant
He gave us shelter,
But not love.
We were invisible to him,
And I longed to leave his house,
Just so I wouldn’t feel entitled to him
I was forced to grow up too fast
Sometimes,
I wished it had been me
instead of my dad who passed—
at least then,
my mom and sisters might have had a softer life
I never understood
why someone could love her,
yet not love her children
So I wished for myself—
someone who would love me
without conditions
Love that is pure and true
Love that isn’t begged for
Love that is constant, unwavering.
Love that doesn’t hurt,
doesn’t break,
doesn’t make you wish for the dead
or blame life itself
I wished for love that could be my strength—
not pain,
not survival,
but love
So, when you asked me why I liked you so much
I said, “I don’t know… “
But I do know
It’s because you make me feel loved,
even with my insecurities,
my mood swings
Because you make me happy,
never lonely
Because I always want to be around you.
You make me confident,
You make it easy to be me
You support me
I love your honesty
your humor,
Your face lights up my world (and honestly, who wouldn’t love that?)
Beyond appearances,
I love your soul—
your personality,
your mindset
I love you
for a million reasons—
some I already know,
and some
I’m yet to discover
PADLINA