STEPDAD

Happy birthday to the man who joined this family, saw the full extent of the chaos and, for reasons nobody completely understands, decided to stay. You arrived without any biological obligation whatsoever, yet still took on the worrying, the lifts, the repairs, the terrible jokes and the right to embarrass me in public. You’ve mastered all the essential dad skills: guarding the thermostat, falling asleep during films and offering detailed advice nobody requested. You may not have supplied the DNA, but you’ve certainly contributed enough questionable habits and sarcastic comments to leave your mark. Thanks for choosing to be family—even after discovering what the job actually involved. Love you, Stepdad x