-Angelot Ndongmo-
Cousins!
As the African proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child and NBA superstar Dwayne Wade is no exception! He released a new photographic memoir in which he opens up about the challenges around not living with his youngest son, Xavier Zechariah. Ensuring he is still being raised with love.
The Grio reports Wade will feature his children, his parents and his Queen, Garbrielle Union. With respect to his son Xavier, Wade shared some co-parenting woes in his memoir with the media, “Xavier doesn’t live with me, so we don’t get to see each other every day like I do with my other kids. It makes things challenging at times, but it’s my job to make sure he never has to carry that weight. It’s up to me to make sure he knows he’s being raised with love even if we don’t live under the same roof,” Wade shared of 8yr old Xavier.
The 3x Championship winner seems to take his role as a father very seriously and wants to do a great job. He added “And it’s up to me to let him know that while distance may physically separate us at times, I’m always going to be the man he can depend on to love him and help lead him.”
Wade does have other children; 3 year old daughter Kaavia James, 14 year old daughter Zaya, 19 year old Zaire Blessing Dwayne and his 20 year old nephew, Dahveon Morris who he raised. The living icon’s love for his children was palpable. He dropped gems of his own that work well for him while parenting.
“…fatherhood isn’t a monolithic image that looks the same in every household. Each relationship is different. All I’m concerned about with Xavier, is him always knowing he’s loved. I think kids appreciate when you try to get to know them,” he said, sharing his parenting style. “And you know what I’ve always tried to do with my kids, from Zaire all the way down to Xavier, from Kaav and Zaya, I try to meet them where they’re at, and I don’t try to always bring them to where I want them to be, or my world.”
There was pride in Wade’s understanding of the value it adds to his children’s lives, when he meets them where they are. “So if Xavier is into Fortnite, then I’m going to try to learn as much about Fortnite as I can to meet him where he’s at so we can have conversations about Fortnite, right?
The memoir features pictures of D.Wade that span over a decade. He felt it was important to attach his memories to a photo, and hired a photographer to snapshot his 10-11 year long journey. Only 200 of those photos made the cut.
“I wanted my supporters and the people who have followed me throughout my entire career to get an opportunity to see me in a different light. This book is not just all basketball, it’s a life book. And to me, I feel like pictures say so many things,” he explained.