Episode 02: Parenting After Losing a Parent

Grief isn't just about what you lost; it’s about who you become because of that loss. In this second solo episode, I wanted to go deeper into how being "unparented" has fundamentally shaped the way I show up as a father today. There is a strange, heavy weight in trying to give your children the very things you never had, the stability, the protection, the presence. while still carrying the shadow of your own parents' absence.

Every milestone, from the birth of my daughters to the small daily rhythms of family life, feels like it's being lived in two worlds: the reality of the home I’ve built and the "what if" of the one I lost. We often talk about grief in terms of anniversaries or quiet moments in the car, but for those of us raising kids, it shows up in the way we overcompensate or the way we fear the silence. If I had five more minutes with my dad, I think I'd just want to sit at that airport overlook again and tell him that his quiet love was enough. With my mom, I’d just want her to see me, to let her laugh, and to let that time repair what was cracked. This episode is for anyone trying to navigate that "factory reset" of life while still being the shelter their own kids need.