CAYF

Happy Father’s Day to every father carrying responsibilities that few people ever see.

Society often celebrates mothers with loud applause, flowers, and endless tributes, yet many fathers quietly bear burdens that are rarely acknowledged. They wake up before dawn, lose sleep over unpaid bills, suppress their fears, and carry the silent pressure of providing stability for the people they love. They are often expected to be the engine room of the family while receiving little recognition for the weight they carry.

But appreciation should never be one-sided.

Being a father is more than paying school fees or putting food on the table. Children remember presence as much as provision. They remember who attended their school events, who asked about their day, who comforted them after failure, and who celebrated their little victories.

There is nothing weak or unusual about a father attending a PTA meeting, helping with homework, braiding a daughter’s hair, cheering from the sidelines at a sports day, or simply sitting down to have a heartfelt conversation with his child. Those moments build trust that money alone cannot buy.

When a father is emotionally absent, children may begin to believe he does not care. They may conclude that their mother is the only one carrying the family’s emotional responsibilities, even if their father is working tirelessly behind the scenes. Attention not given is often interpreted as love not felt.

To fathers everywhere: your family needs your affection as much as your income. Your words matter. Your hugs matter. Your availability matters. Let your children know that they can find not only discipline in you but also safety, encouragement, and tenderness.

And to society: let us celebrate fathers with the same sincerity we encourage them to lead with. Honor the men who strive to do right, support those who are learning, and remind every father that true strength is measured not only by the burdens he carries but also by the love he openly gives.

Happy Father’s Day to the fathers who show up, who keep trying, and who understand that the greatest legacy they can leave their children is not wealth alone, but presence.

And to baba Àbíké Oní Gègé Àrà; thanks for all the sacrifices, you are loved beyond words. Keep been YOU as am so proud to be called your's.

Happy father's Day to my father and all the fathers who fathered me!

✍️✍️✍️
Abike Onigege Àrà
Writer with unique pen n vibes

゚

Let's dive into one of the Fat Big Lie about life tonight which says “You Must Have Everything Figured Out by a Certain Age”

Society quietly hands us an invisible timeline. Graduate by this age. Get a stable job by that age. Marry before another. Build wealth before forty. Raise children. Buy a house. Become successful. Smile as if everything is going according to plan.

But life rarely follows a script.

Some people discover their purpose at 18. Others stumble upon it at 58. Some become millionaires in their twenties and lose everything before forty. Others struggle for decades before finally finding the opportunity that changes their lives forever.

The biggest mistake is not being behind. It is believing that being behind means you have failed.

We celebrate milestones, but we often ignore the detours that made them possible. The late nights, wrong turns, disappointments, career changes, broken dreams, and unexpected opportunities are all part of the journey. Growth is rarely linear.

Comparison fuels this lie. You scroll through social media and see engagements, promotions, businesses, vacations, and achievements. What you rarely see are the debts, doubts, rejected applications, lonely nights, or years of persistence hidden behind those polished moments.

Your timeline is not defective because it doesn't match someone else's.

Some seeds sprout in days. Some trees take years before breaking through the soil, yet they become the strongest in the forest because of the depth of their roots.

Life is not a race with one finish line. It is a personal journey shaped by different starting points, opportunities, responsibilities, and circumstances. Chasing another person's clock can make you miss your own calling.

So if you're feeling late, remember this: being alive means your story is still being written. You don't need to have everything figured out by a certain age. You need the courage to keep learning, adapting, and moving forward.

The real failure isn't arriving later than expected. It's giving up because you believed the clock mattered more than the journey.

✍️✍️✍️
Àbíké Oní Gègé Àrà
Writer with unique pen n vibes