Name:  Mello Ayo 

Age:  58 

Occupation: Artist
 
How many children do you have?

One

How old were you when you first became a father? 

38

How would you rank your relationship with your father?

5 out of 5

Briefly describe the relationship with your father.

When my father died, I did not cry. In my life, he died long before he passed away. I knew him more by his absence rather than his presence. however, as I grew into my own fatherhood, I learned how to appreciate and love him more. I realized that as a son, I had idolized and idealized him.

As I grew into a teenager and longed for more of him, he failed me and left me wanting and hungry. I then choose to demonize him. Neither approach was helpful. Now, I am more balanced and have chosen instead to love, honour and respect him for who he is and was.

How has this shaped the relationship with your children?

Instead of being the man my father was, I have chosen to become the man my father was not and instead become the kind of father for my daughter the kind of father I wish I had.

What do you enjoy the most about being a dad?

Everything.