Father’s Day: 3 people share the exact moment they knew their dads loved them

Growing up in a Nigerian home where you may never hear those three magic words, 'I love you,' is an interesting experience.

On the one hand, you have parents who show that care by providing for you, but there is the fact that they never actually say it. So, how do you know that they love you and are not just taking care of you because they feel obligated?

To mark Father’s Day, we asked three people to describe the exact moment they knew without a doubt that their dads loved them. Here is what they had to say:

He abandoned work for me

One time, I got sick in uni and got admitted to the hospital. My dad left work the next day, came to my school in Akure, and stayed with me for a week. He stayed by my bed throughout. Years later, I got sick with a cold, and he cuddled me. He rubbed aboniki on my body and cuddled me. When I was a kid and I needed to get books for school, he would take my list of books and go to a place at CMS to everything. One time, he took me to get certain books and we later entered Sweet Sensation. He would always order scotch egg and doughnut for me and just get himself moi moi and water. That’s still my favourite order at eateries; scotch egg and doughnut.

— Daniel

He didn't shout when I got an extra year

I had a tough time in school, but I was still surprised when I got an extra year and I was worried that my parents would kill me when i got home. During that holiday, I lost weight worrying about how to tell them and how they would react. When I eventually gathered the liver to tell him, he shocked me by being really understanding. He didn't raise his voice, instead, he calmly told me not to worry and that he was there for me. I knew right there and then, that I was incredibly loved.

— Emem

He didn't kill me when I got pregnant at a young age

Everyone knows that getting pregnant outside wedlock is a big taboo in this country. So, I understandably freaked out when I found out I was pregnant in school. I thought of not going home and moving in with my boyfriend but then my dad randomly showed up in school. One look at my face and he knew I wasn't okay. He kept prodding me until I broke down in tears and confessed that I was pregnant. To my surprise, he came close, hugged me and told me to stop crying. He went on to say that I didn't have to think about getting married to my boyfriend because of the pregnancy and that he would take care of me and my baby. He is late now but I still cry when I look at my baby and remember that moment.

— Tara