Unfiltered
Letters that don’t sound filtered
Inner monologue turned into truth, not polished essays.
Top Letter
You just left
By NgwanaModimo
I don't know you, you are here but not really present. What replaced our place in your heart?
Longing
Grief
Healing
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❤ 1 feel this
💬 1 reflections
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Latest Letter
Father's day is coming up.
By NgwanaModimo
I wish I didn't find this day as one of those bittersweet/insignificant days. I wish I didn't have a reason to. B...
👍 1 support
❤ 0 likes
💬 0 comments
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A private public journal
Say the thing you never got to say.
Dear Dad is a public journal for teenagers and young adults carrying anger, grief, questions, softness, or silence. It is a digital room designed to feel like home-not an institution-where you can safely put down the weight of what you carry.
This is a collective space for those who wish to express the complex feelings they have for fathers they hardly knew or who walked out of their lives. Here, we share anonymous journals that give voice to the reality of growing up with a missing piece.
It is also a place for fathers to listen. By reading these entries, they can begin to understand the profound void left behind and the lasting impact of their absence on a child's life.
You are not alone in the quiet. Your story belongs here.
Who created Dear Dad and why
Created by a teacher and mentor with over 20 years of experience working with young people, Dear Dad was built in response to one recurring reality: the impact of absent fathers.
Read the full founder story →“You missed every birthday. I stopped expecting you after the third one.”
The words here are not polished for approval. They are written by people trying to make sense of absence, distance, love, and everything that still aches.
Read letters that feel raw, specific, and recognisable.
Write without needing to shrink your feelings to sound acceptable.
Find language for abandonment, confusion, longing, anger, or healing.
Seen
A wall of “me too” moments
Read stories from others and feel less isolated in your experience.
Stillness
A quiet corner to just breathe
A space calm enough to think and expressive enough to say something real.
Truth
Honesty without an agenda
We hold space for the void left behind, and invite others to witness it.
Why this exists
Some people grew up with a father who was physically absent. Others had one who was present but unreachable. Both leave marks.
Dear Dad exists so those marks can be named out loud. Not to shame. Not to perform pain. To tell the truth about what absence can shape, fracture, or silence.
If a father reads these letters with humility, there is still room for understanding. If a young person writes one, there is room for release.
Start here
For teenagers and young adults
A softer way into a hard conversation
Read
Browse the public letters and sit with stories that feel familiar, shocking, healing, or all three.
Write
Create your own letter when you are ready. No change to the workflow, only a more supportive visual experience.
Not sure yet
Take your time. Read quietly, breathe, and come back when you feel ready. You can start with one letter and no pressure to respond.
If this brings up something heavy
You do not have to carry it alone.
Dear Dad is not therapy. If you need immediate support, please use these South African resources now.
Go to Get HelpIf you are a father reading this
Start by listening.
This is an invitation, not an accusation. Fathers can read without defending, reflect with humility, and choose one honest step toward reconnection.
Read curated letters first
Use the "Start here" guide for fathers
Take one practical action, however small
Stay connected
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