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.
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 ac...
Father's day is coming up.
By NgwanaModimo · 1 month ago
I wish I didn't find this day as one of those bittersweet/insignificant days. I wish I didn't have a reason to. But "Happy father's day". Because I am...
:p
By wherearetheavocados · 2 months ago
how do i begin being alive when i never planned on being alive for this long? one of my biggest dreams is being completely isolated from everyone. this dream...
when do we let the hurt go?
By wherearetheavocados · 2 months ago
for the longest, i've convinced myself that my traumas were only mine to carry and insignificant to others. i've learnt to bury my sorrow and hide my pain away...
Roof leaks of Old Memories
By anonymouse · 2 months ago
Recently, heavy rains in the Eastern Cape found their way into our house through a crevice in the roof. Once the weather cleared, I climbed up to assess the dam...
To dad
By TeeLaw · 3 months ago
Sometimes I wonder how you’re doing mentally. I ponder on how your childhood was, the traumas you went through?. My feelings have changed from anger to compassi...
I don't know if I understand.
By Seventeen · 3 months ago
I see you every now and then - and I feel love, yet don't know if I feel any too. You had a chance to give us a future but you ruined your own life along with o...
Dear dad
By F3lix · 3 months ago
As great a father as you are to me individually, and hopefully the rest of your kids, my only wish is that you work as hard in bringing us together as your kids...
Dear Dad
By Sibo · 3 months ago
There are so many things I wish I could tell you. So many moments you’ve missed that I wish you could have been part of. Life didn’t stop when you died, yet som...
You just left
By NgwanaModimo · 3 months ago
I don't know you, you are here but not really present. What replaced our place in your heart?
If processing letters prompts deep emotional friction, free counseling directories and direct support assets are open for you.
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112This community resource offers honest insights into generational reconciliation. Read calmly, intentionally, and without internal defense.