I let my guard down with my father. He seemed to genuinely be interested in whether or not I was okay. So I started sharing my experiences with work. He yelled my name. So I stopped talking. He continued, "Are you incapable of marshaling yourself?" I told him I didn't know what that meant. He stated some kind of definition to which I responded, "I am doing the best that I can." He retorted, "So you're just going to cave...again." I knew these were fighting words, SO I gently reiterated: "I am doing the best that I can." To which he stated, " Go ahead be a victim then." (these are trigger words, and I am not going to let just anyone use them with me). I turned around, said, "okay" and then walked out of his house. Now. I am done. I will not go back unless I get an apology or he learns to "marshal" himself (which if you see below, he didn't even use correctly). I'm not even mad, I am just done. Men...this is why you need to heal. This doesn't even scratch the surface of my "daddy issues" but he was telling me to marshal myself AFTER I gave him my plan of action. According to GOOGLE: "Marshal yourself" means to get yourself ready, organized, and prepared for action or a task. It implies bringing together your thoughts, resources, and efforts to be in a state of readiness. It can also mean to organize or arrange something in an orderly fashion. Love your children unconditionally. Please don't bait them by pretending to care!

You didn’t quit. You kept loving, even when you felt empty. Your kids won’t remember perfection. They’ll remember your presence. You are a hero in real-time.

No cape. No applause. Just silent battles and sacred love. If you’ve been waiting for someone to tell you: You’re doing better than you think. Don’t give up.

Is become the parent you never had. Not by being perfect. By being present, honest, real. By showing them it’s safe to feel, safe to fall, and safe to rise again.

You are the definition of strength. You are the blueprint of emotional safety. Your kids don’t need a perfect parent. They need a healing one.