Woman Pays Tribute to The Step-Dad who Showed Her What Love is
When Katelyn Miller penned a heartfelt letter to her Step-Dad, thanking him for stepping into the role as her ‘dad’, she didn’t expect her words to go viral.
The Love What Matters Facebook Page published the tribute and it resonated with many people on the internet.
The 21-year-old from Salina, Kansas, wrote a thank-you letter to her step-dad, Lance Jeske, thanking him for showing her what a real dad is.
She thanked Lance for ‘taking care of our family. I know you didn’t create me, your name isn’t on my birth certificate, I don’t have your last name (yet) and I don’t look like you. None of that will ever matter to me because for the last 11 years you have shaped me, you have gone to parent-teacher conferences, you have made me one of your own, and you never made me question myself. I get so teared up every time I talk about you because you have never disappointed me like other men figures in my life. When they leave, or put me down at the end of the day I will always have you.’
The letter was published on Monday and has been shared over 4000 times and received over 38k reactions.
Many commenters shared their own experiences of step-parenting and how blessed their children are to have that significant step-parent in their life.
One of the top commenters wrote,” My son has a wonderful woman in his life that I refuse to call his step mom…I call her his “second Mom”! She married my ex husband (and friend) and am so extremely grateful to have her as part of our tribe!”
Katelyn shared her thankfulness for her step-dad’s presence in her life. She told the Huffpost she knows “what a strong, healthy relationship looks like by witnessing the marriage of Lance and her mother.”
Katelyn told HuffPost that over the years, as she’s watched her mother and Lance love each other, she’s learned what a strong, healthy relationship looks like.
“He’s taught me so much,” she told the Huffpost, “He’s treated my mother the way she deserves. By watching their relationship grow and grow over the years, I hope one day to find someone who will love and support me the way he does for my mother.”
The full letter can be found on the Facebook page.
