Words of Shame, Words of Love

Finding the right words for Fatherhood

When I was very small, my father sometimes told me:

I still love you even when you are bad.

This was his habit after scolding me — although it’s possible he said it only once and it made such an impact that I remember it happening multiple times.

Memory is a tricky thing, especially such early memories, and it’s hard to be certain what actually happened. What I misremembered at the time, and what I’m…