We All Deserve To Be Told We Are Enough 

“I’m hungry” I say on my way to my parents refrigerator. “Nice to meet you hungry, I’m Ron,” my dad responds. 🙄

Father figures all over the world have at one point or another perfected the classic “dad” joke. But even though some fathers may never come up short on the silly jokes, some of us may also find ourselves seeking more validating dynamics with the father figures in our life.

That’s because the relationship we have with our fathers (and father figures and parental figures alike) is simply unlike any other. Whether you’ve known this bond to be with your dad, grandpa, uncle, brother, friend, you name it, Father’s Day can be a great opportunity to show the people who’ve parented us just how good it feels to be emotionally seen and heard.

“We all have permission to be who we are—driven, sensitive, ambitious, emotional, impulsive, resilient, stubborn—and to still belong.”

We all deserve to be told we are enough, and starting with the generations who raised us is a beautiful way to show others how we would like to be spoken to. It’s up to us to break down the ways in which masculinity, in particular, has been modeled for generations before us. Because the messages around what makes a “man” can leave some of the people in our lives feeling inadequate, actively avoiding vulnerability, and feeling like they constantly need to “armor up” to hide the rawest versions of themselves.

So, this Father’s Day we are un-defining masculinity to include more of us and more parts of us. We all have permission to be who we are—driven, sensitive, ambitious, emotional, impulsive, resilient, stubborn—and to still belong. It’s time to say goodbye to gender conformities, and hello to more affirmative and emotionally sustainable relationships.

Although we cannot repair or heal anyone but ourselves, we do hold the power to support those around us, and it starts with the words we choose to communicate. We understand Father’s Day can be a sensitive and hard day for many reasons, so take care and adapt the affirmations below to fit your circumstance (maybe the person who needs these affirmations is you!). Allow these affirmations to help you build upon the relationship between you and your father figure, and give them the best gift of all: acceptance.

15 Father’s Day Affirmations

1. You are more than enough to me, and you have always been enough just as you are.

2. I am grateful for the impact your presence and support has had in my life.

3. Your display of emotional and behavioral resilience in life has taught me what it means to live the most true version of myself! To choose excitement over fear. 👊

4. You helped instill the foundational characteristics that make me who I am—and I am forever grateful for that.

5. I couldn’t have gotten where I am today with without the impact of your guidance. You taught me how to lead with kindness, have compassion for myself and others, and how to gather enough strength to never give up on myself or what I have built. 😌

6. I know you didn’t grow up always having a father who was there for you emotionally, and I want you to know you have always been a loving and caring figure in my life.

“I hope to find a partner who is as devoted and nurturing and as you.”

7. I am inspired by your kindness, your ability to give, and welcoming heart. I’m grateful for the fact that you always make time to help others, including myself. The way you love others inspires me.

8. Today and every day I recognize that fatherhood is not easy, and I think you’re doing a stellar job.

9. I hope to find a partner who is as devoted and nurturing as you.

10. You are a great dad, and you have always been a shoulder for me when I needed you.

11. You are knowledgeable, and are a good teacher. You taught me and keep teaching me so many valuable lessons.

12. Your jokes are unmatched! You always brighten my day with your humor and contagious laugh!

13. You’re the most devoted and supportive person I know, and I am so happy to call you family. Nothing brings more joy to me than knowing I have found such a loving father figure in my life.

“I am beyond grateful that I can look to you and feel safe.”

14. I am beyond grateful that I can look to you and feel safe. You have always provided me with a sense of security and safety that no material good could have or ever will offer me.

15. You are emotionally resilient, brave, and above all you are strong. I love you!

Have any parental affirmations of your own to share?
Drop them in the comments below!

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Annie Balto is the Creative Assistant at The Good Trade. She’s a Los Angeles transplant who was born and raised in Minnesota, where she attributes her love for the natural world and curious personality. You can usually find her soaking up the sun on her long walks, nestled in the beautiful Malibu beaches eating from her favorite sandwich shop, or at home experimenting in the kitchen. Say hi on Instagram!