My son told me something recently that broke my heart all over again. He lost his first serious girlfriend in a car accident a few years ago, and there's a memory he carries that he can't let go of.
When they were teenagers, she used to sneak him into her house late at night while her parents were home. Nothing wild, they weren't partying or anything like that. She just wanted him there.
He said he'd be paranoid the whole time, terrified her parents would hear the window creak or a floorboard squeak. But she thought it was fun. She loved the thrill of it.
And once he was in her room? She'd just lie across his lap and talk. For hours. About everything and nothing. Her day, her dreams, things she was worried about, things that made her laugh.
He said he didn't realize how lucky he was at the time. He thought they had all the time in the world for those late night talks.
Then one night, she didn't make it home.
He told me, "Dad, I'd give anything, "anything" to have her lie in my lap one more time and just talk. I don't even care what about. I just want to hear her voice again."
As a father, hearing your child say something like that tears you apart. You can't fix it. You can't bring her back. You just sit there and hold them while they grieve.
He's doing better now. Time helps. But he'll carry that loss for the rest of his life.
If someone you love wants to spend time with you, even if it's inconvenient, even if you're tired, make the time. You never know when "see you tomorrow" turns into "I wish I had one more night."
To anybody getting their GCSE results today, don’t stress about it. Remember that Stevie White got 12 A*’s and is still just one bad podcast away from pretending to be an optician again for money.