“ The Isle I was not ready for”

DAD BOD AND DOUGH

I’ve handled a lot as a dad.

Broken toys.
Broken hearts.
Burnt pancakes.

But nothing…

—and I mean nothing—

prepared me for that aisle.

You know the one.

I stood there…

Frozen.

Staring at shelves filled with things I didn’t understand.

Different sizes.
Different colours.
Different… levels of absorbency?

I picked one up.

Put it back.

Picked another one up.

Read the label like it was a legal contract.

“Wings?”

Why does it have wings?
Is it flying somewhere?
Am I meant to assemble this?

“If she farts under these wings will she fly?”

I looked around like I was about to be arrested.

And then it hit me…

This isn’t about me.

This is about her.

My little girl…

who suddenly isn’t so little anymore.

And in that moment…

I realised something important:

I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

So I did what any confident, capable father would do…

I stood there…

hoping someone would save me.

And then…

like an angel sent from the heavens…

a middle-aged woman appeared.

“Do you need some help?”

I almost cried.

I nodded.

Probably too quickly.

She didn’t laugh.
She didn’t judge.

She just helped.

Explained everything.

What to get.
What to avoid.
What actually matters.

“ Must be sent on the wings of an Angel to help me”

And just like that…

I wasn’t alone in the aisle anymore.

I paid.

Walked out.

Held the bag like I had just completed a mission.

On the outside?

Cool dad.
Handled it.
No problem.

On the inside?

“I HAVE SURVIVED.”

But here’s the thing…

That moment?

As awkward as it was…

It mattered.

Because being a dad isn’t about knowing everything.

It’s about showing up…

even when you don’t have a clue.

And sometimes…

being brave looks like standing in an aisle…

completely out of your depth…

And staying anyway.

Raising a daughter

Raising a Business

Raising Hell if necessary