I was only four years old when my mom married him. I’m German, and he was just 18—still practically a kid himself. Most people at that age are figuring out their own lives, but he stepped into mine without hesitation.
From the very beginning, he treated me as his own. He learned how to braid my hair for school, sat through every school concert, and listened to my endless questions about the world. He taught me things I didn’t even know I needed to learn—how to be kind, how to stand up for myself, how to work hard even when life felt unfair. In so many ways, he gave me the stability and love my biological parents never could.
Life wasn’t always easy for him. There was a tough divorce, one that left scars. He had been cheated on, yet even in the middle of his own heartbreak, he never pulled away from me. He never once made me feel like I was less important because I wasn’t “really” his. If anything, he fought harder to be there for me.
When we were out together, we sometimes faced the ugly side of people—racist remarks, judgmental stares, stereotypes whispered just loud enough to hear. He never let it touch me. He would put his arm around my shoulder, smile with pride, and say to anyone who questioned it, “This is my daughter.” Those four words always made me feel safe. Seen. Loved.
The truth is, I don’t remember a life without him. He’s the one who encouraged me when I doubted myself, the one who showed up when others didn’t, the one who proved that being a parent isn’t about biology—it’s about showing up, every single day, no matter what.
Now that I’m older, I see even more clearly the sacrifices he made. The things he gave up. The ways he put me first when it would have been easier to walk away. And still, to this day, he’s the person I can call at any hour for advice, comfort, or just to hear a voice that has always believed in me.
Some dads are given to you by life. Others are given to you by choice. I was lucky enough to be chosen—and that choice has shaped my whole world.
I’ll always be grateful that an 18-year-old kid decided to become something more. That he chose to be my dad. And that, through every season of my life, he never stopped.
