Daddy's Girl

"She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us"

There was a debate on the radio yesterday about single dads, a subject I hold dear to my heart and not just because I am the original Daddy's Girl much like my beloved Cher Horowitz. I do think I had an unconventional upbringing, but it was fun and I was independent. I was all about the Girl Power long before the Spice Girls were kung fu kicking it out. My friends were envious at the lack of rules I didnt have implemented onto me. Bed time? What's that? Being grounded was something that happened to other people. As I got older, curfews were pushed to the small hours of the night and the word No was something I rarely heard from my Super Dad.

Being given all that freedom allowed me to learn from my own mistakes (such as don't try coming home at 4am assuming your folks will be asleep in bed) but made me learn to trust my own instincts and decisions, and best of all I had more independence than my entire class put together. Rather than wrapping me up in cotton wool he let me take my knocks, dust myself off and file that away as something not to do again.

Looking back now I can see how tough it must have been for my dad to raise a girl on his own, from a sweet 12 year to a pain-in-the-arse 18 year old. But he handled it amazingly and we made the best team in the world. We cooked dinner together, I would drive him home safe after a Christmas party (15 year old me at the wheel of our 4x4, bog standard really and quite illegal), one shared look was enough to signal "dont tell mum" and he would always put his Florence Nightingale cap on and peel my grapes for me when I was sick.

I'm sure there were times that I caused more than my fair share of those grey hairs on his head.

Single dads rock. Single mums need to scoot over on that pedestal...

...and in conclusion may I please remind you that it does not say RSVP on the statue of Liberty! Thank you very much.