In a recent interview, she said that it was hard to grow up with her father continually in the news. It was one of the most real and emotional things she has ever spoken. People who weren’t there believed her childhood was great. Cameras were everywhere at family events, fancy excursions, and famous people who sent glitter all the time. But what happened was nothing like what they thought would happen. “It wasn’t always as glamorous as people thought,” she said. It was hard to deal with all the attention, expectations, and comparisons all the time. She knew from a young age that people would watch her every action, not just strangers but also because her father was famous.
She remembered that her father’s love often came with lessons, like hard words, high expectations, and the rule that you couldn’t be weak. “Be strong no matter what,” her father used to urge her. Her voice got weaker as she thought about what he had said. People who didn’t know him might have thought he was rude, but she didn’t understand. When she was a kid, she sometimes thought Daddy wanted too much from her. She wanted to be strong and serene like he was. But now she understands that his “tough love” wasn’t about being in charge or perfect. It was about making her ready for a world where being rich doesn’t mean you won’t be sad.
She stated it was really hard for her to live there all the time. The competition was secret: he was afraid of letting him down and not living up to the legend he had constructed. People were proud of the things they had done well, but they were also ashamed of the things they had done incorrectly. She wanted her dad to just be there for her instead of coaching her and to understand her instead of yelling at her. Those times were challenging, but they made her stronger. She said, “All I wanted was for him to be the best person he could be.” She remembered that Dad always spoke with love, even when he was being hard on her.
She was honest about how their relationship was good and awful for them. He was demanding, which made things tense, but they got along well because they respected each other. They had to put their bond to the test a lot when they were teens. People struggled for their independence, privacy, and sense of self. It was hard for her to know who she was because so many people knew her. “I used to wonder if people saw me as me or just as his daughter,” she added. She was frustrated because it was hard for her to figure out who she was, but it also helped her learn more about herself.
When she turned twenty, things started to change in their relationship. They had distinct points of view because they were elderly and lived far away. She began to think of her father as more than just a well-known person. She thought of him as a real person who had challenges and made sacrifices. As time went on, she learned how he utilized his power to make her do things. They learned to talk to each other in a kinder and more understanding way. There were real conversations instead of lectures in the meetings, when both people listened to and learned from one other. She said with quiet pride, “We’re closer now.” “I think we know each other better now than we did before.”
She also pondered about how being in a poor place impacted how she perceived the world. Her dad taught her how to be strong, take care of herself, and cope with her emotions. They helped her with her schoolwork, her troubles at home, and the times when too many people were looking at her. “There were times when I thought I couldn’t handle the stress,” she added. “But then I heard his voice in my head telling me that being strong doesn’t mean never breaking; it means learning how to put things back together.”
She deals with the positive and bad things that happened to her as a child with grace as an adult. She doesn’t try to hide her sadness; instead, she learns from it. Her story is about how she dealt with her past and her father. She used to be worried out all the time, but now she is happy for the teachings that helped her become strong enough to stand on her own.
She smiled as the interviewer asked her what her father means to her now that the interview was almost finished. She said, “He’s my hero.” “Not because he’s famous, but because he always believed in me, even when I didn’t.” She spoke with a calm strength that came from knowing for a long time that love can be both strong and weak, demanding and very kind. Their narrative is about growing up, forgiving, and a love that has grown stronger even though they are famous and have a lot of stress.