Parents' Day: ‘I am missing out on life lessons from my father now that I need them in my 30s’

<p>On this parents' day, we spoke to a young man in his 30s about his childhood and the void created by the absence of his father.</p>, <span>Daniel shares the impact of growing up with mostly his mother istockphoto</span>, <h2>Parents' Day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July.</h2>, <p>National Parents' Day aims to support responsible parenting and encourage parents to reward their children's good behaviour. The day also honours parental sacrifices and the unbreakable bond and love between parents and their offspring.</p>, <p>We spoke to Daniel about his father and mother and their impact on his life.</p>, <p>"From four years old to 14 years old, I was raised by only my Mom. My Dad was abroad, he lost his banking job in Nigeria and went to the US, where he had his education, in search of greener pastures.</p>, <p>"His absence from my childhood I easily forgave. I don't think I missed out on anything besides having someone to set a curfew and raise his voice. The usual ‘I will tell your Daddy for you’.</p>, <p>"My mom did a good job raising my siblings and me, but she gave us a lot of freedom. We had privileges other kids didn't have, but we didn't blow up the house or misuse the privileges. We went out often (we told her where we were going, of course) and came home a bit late.</p>, <p>"There was no "Oh, I wish my father came for football games and stuff." We didn't have that like oyinbos. I was so relieved during the PTA meetings or open days when my parents didn't even attend. Graduations and matriculation were not big deals in my household.</p>, <p>"If anything, I enjoyed the freedom of being a child without a stern father. My mom couldn't or wouldn't put the reins on like dad would have.</p>, <p>"Did I miss him? I missed him as a person, but not his fatherly role. I didn't think I was missing anything. If anything, I missed him for my mom. I remember them dancing during Saturday morning cookouts when I was very little. I think she really missed him and it was hard raising children alone.</p>, <p>"He re