“He always wanted a daughter. He tells me that all the time....

“He always wanted a daughter.  He tells me that all the time.  My friends think I’m so lucky because a lot of their dads aren’t affectionate.  Some have even been forced to stop studying and get married.  But my father wants me to be successful.  He wants me to live abroad.  More than anything, he’s a friend. There was a time in high school when I was extremely depressed.  Mostly just teenage things.  I felt ugly.  I didn’t have confidence.  But it got so bad that I started having scary thoughts.  And I didn’t want to tell anyone, especially my parents.  I was afraid I’d get locked away in the house.  But one night we were sitting in my bedroom, and I finally let him know.  His reaction wasn’t what I expected.  He didn’t panic or scream.  He was calm.  He just kept holding me and saying: ‘We’ll get through this together.’”
(Alexandria, Egypt)