Apr 13, 20222 min read

I Thought You Knew: A Redemptive Love Story to Daughters Everywhere

Rachel Boyd is a general assignment reporter for Spectrum News. She originally hails from Tampa Florida, but she relocated to Wilmington, NC after interning with Spectrum in July 2020. One of the favorite parts of Rachel’s job is showcasing the amazing things people have seen and done in their lives. Rachel is inspired by the stories that she hears so she loves making those stories heard, especially ones that have been buried under the surface for years.

Rachel stopped by Ben’s Boys on March 5, 2022. She did so so that she cover my daughter, Haelee and I in a story about my debut children’s book, Dear Daughter: A Love Story and listen to a live reading of it. But not only that, she wanted to hear the stories that other authors such as Tara Hill-Starks and Sakesha Caston shared with respect to Green Go, Red Stop and Mommy Loves My Little Toes respectively.

Rachel said, “The bond between a father and a daughter is irreplaceable, but not every little girl has the luxury of having a dad in her life. When Dedrick Moone realized this, he decided he would shoulder the load and become a surrogate dad for every child out there who is missing a father figure. He decided to write a book, "Dear Daughter: A Love Story” to help.” She also provided that, “With this book Moone hopes to show that not all fathers drop the ball when it comes to being a loving parent, and if one happens to, then he hopes the book has the capacity to fill that hole in someone's heart where a dad should be.”

Spectrum was originally going to hold the story until Fathers Day but Rachel and the producers decided to air it on April 12, 2022 in advance of Easter. I said to her, “Oh no. How dare y’all ruin my Fathers Day gift. Y’all fiends.” Rachel laughed and said, “You have such a great story and tell it with so much grace and passion! I’m honored to be able to share it with our audience.” I shed a tear as she shared with me how it all unfolded. She laughed and said, “Those better be tears of joy.” I assured her that they were and that my favorite part of it is how she blended herself and her own dad into the story. Her doing so was the icing on the cake for me, because it allowed me to see that she as a daddy’s girl herself understands and appreciates that one good thing that I’m trying to do in the world. She also assured me that it was okay to cry because it’s something that girls dads tend to do where it comes to our daughters especially when we don’t have the words. Those of you that missed it, can check out the story in its entirety by going here.