Chilliwack author pens memoir of her dad, releases book for Father’s Day

A Chilliwack woman who wrote a book about her childhood memories of her father has timed its release just in time for Father’s Day.

Faye Paris’s newly released book OX Daddy ox: Memories from the Heart shares the joys, sorrows, and tribulations of growing up from a child’s point of view.

“I was inspired to write a book honouring my dad and all dads for being there for their children. Even dads in the animal kingdom are amazing… gorilla dads groom, cuddle comfort and discipline their offspring – a lot like my dad.”

She calls it a children’s book for adults, and it is classified under memoirs and parenting.

The effect of this father-daughter relationship is unquestionably powerful and compelling, reads the description. An imperfect man tries to teach his daughter to be better than he is as a person. This is an outcome he expects his daughter to accomplish; this is an outcome his daughter feels she can never achieve. Over the years she views this man with imperfections differently. Still, she loves and respects him while driven by the impact of his values on her life.

Paris describes her favourite memory from the chapter called ‘A Sticky Situation.’

“It is about my dad trying to teach me how to paint my bedroom closet as a young child. While trying to paint a closet wall, I dripped paint on the newspaper protecting the floor. When I walked on the drips the newspaper stuck to my shoes. I lifted one foot then the other foot, but the newspaper would not come off. I was stuck and frustrated. My dad lifted me off the ground, pulled the newspaper off my shoes, and consoled me,” Paris said.

“In that moment, he was my hero. It is astounding how a small gesture can turn a dad into a superhero from a child’s perspective.”

One of the messages she wanted to send to dads and all parents is that children see the world differently depending on their developmental stage. Sometimes as parents we forget that children are not just little adults, she said.

Paris is a registered clinical counsellor who enjoys not only counselling but teaching, speaking, and providing trainings about the arts and mental health issues.

When she finished writing the book, she realized it was her own form of therapy.

“By the time I described the last memory of my dad in this book, I realized writing this book was a way for me to deal with my own grief at losing my dad.”

At only 50 pages long, it’s a fairly quick read with lots of illustrations, all of which represent children’s attempts at drawing as they grow-up.

Illustrations are by Shen-Mei Li and photos are by Larry Paris.

She is now in the process of writing a book about her mother, a relationship she calls “more complicated, but interesting.” She also has plans to write a book about maintaining one’s own mental health.

You can buy OX Daddy ox: Memories from the Heart on Amazon.ca for $24.99 (paperback), $31.99 (hardcover), or $4.99 (ebook).

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