Unbreakable Her: Hello, everybody, and welcome to the next episode of the Unbreakable Her Podcast, where we make space for the stories of resilient women. Today, we are starting a series on fathers. Last month, ⁓ for the month of May, we did a series covering or celebrating mothers through their son's eyes. And so certainly wouldn't be fair if we didn't celebrate dads too for the month of June. So all month, all of our episodes will be highlighting dads. I'm going to be monopolizing those episodes because I have two dads. And going to ⁓ going to learn about my dads, ⁓ also you're going to get to meet people who ⁓ you haven't met before. So first up, ⁓ I have my sister. This is my only sister who's my only sibling who's older than me. But if you haven't been around at events, ⁓ that That I've done, then you might not have seen her. So I'm getting I'm getting to introduce her to my folk. So we have joining us for this first episode in the series. I think we're gonna call this series that's my dad. our first guest in this series is my sister Cherie, ⁓ I don't ever call her dad. We call her Wezzy. So this is this is Wezzy. Thank you for being here with us.
Schree: Thank you. You're very welcome. I love you to every day.
Unbreakable Her: So here's here's what's cool about this story, right? So I I said I have two dads, and let me explain. So I have my first dad, this is kind of how I refer to them. My first dad, and then my birth dad. My first dad ⁓ is ⁓ actually my brother's dad. ⁓ And ⁓ me Wezzy share This dad and and our brother, we share him, but he is not either of our biodad. So this is it's it's cool when you when you really think about it. So ⁓ I'm gonna walk you through a little bit of like the timeline. Well, we're gonna walk you through a little bit of the timeline. ⁓ but comes first. So ⁓ he ⁓ our dad, ⁓ Greg Robinson Sr. ⁓ dated Wezzy's mom before he met my mom. And why am I trying to explain it? You're here. You can explain it. Like, how do you remember dad coming into your life?
Schree: Thank you. It's just, it's just, So hearing the stories growing up, my sisters, my mom, my aunts, our uncles on dad's side told me the story. This is what I was told, that when my mother came to Philadelphia from Delaware, she met dad and they became good friends. And I believe she was pregnant with me when they met. And of course she had me and he was around. And I was months old, maybe two months old, and he decided that he wanted to be my dad because my biological father was back in the other state of Delaware or wherever he was living at the time. So him and my mom, I guess, decided that was cool. I guess back in that time, times was rough, whatever the case may be. But Greg, our dad, I wanted that responsibility ⁓ to be a father and to have a child. So my mom was with it. And that pretty much sums it up of how it all started. And then I remember a story that my mom telling our dad, don't let nothing happen to my daughter now because he took me. He took me right away to his mom and that's all they knew. They didn't know if it was. It was or it wasn't. just knew that this was Greg coming around with a baby and that's his daughter. And that's how it started.
Unbreakable Her: That is so that is so dad Like it's so it's so interesting. Like just
Schree: Good night. Yes, it's like you found a puppy brought home. Hey, here's a puppy. Maybe that's why you got it. You know?
Unbreakable Her: It's the same. Yeah. But it's so it's so interesting though because that really like once he made that decision, that was he decided like you can't to this very moment, you cannot say to him, like, ⁓ that's not those aren't your real daughters, or like you're not their real dad. You if you want to make him mad, say that. Like that's that's what it'll be. So
Schree: We will be. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's what it would be.
Unbreakable Her: is where this is a story that gets interesting because so dad and your mom were together for ⁓ however like I don't know the timeline, then ⁓ at point they're not together anymore. But that means nothing for the fact that like that's your dad.
Schree: Yeah, yeah, that was a good thing too, because whatever happened, know, through their life at that time, it never changed anything between me and him.
Unbreakable Her: so so eventually he g gets to the point where he dates my mom. And then when they're together, ⁓ she becomes pregnant in the of their relationship with Greg. So Greg is our the junior, he's our our younger brother. Now ⁓ what happened was we all together when when Greg was born. So like leading up to him being born. And it's the same ⁓ is it's very similar. Like
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: When my when he found out my mom was pregnant, he actually took my mom back to my grandmom's. So like to her mom's and was like, Look, I'm going to like get things together so that like I can take care of them. So like just, you know, take care of them for a little bit and then I would you know, because at that point, it's not just ⁓ my mom's pregnant with his baby, but it's me and my sister Amanda. So he's coming into it on his side, he has you.
Schree: Mm-hmm. year.
Unbreakable Her: And on her side, she's got two, and now they're about to have a baby. So when we end up moving in together, I probably like right before Greg was born. And then, like, I will never forget this. So Greg is six years younger than me. Yeah. Six years. So I will never forget. We all lived in this in the house together. He wasn't like it never felt it didn't feel like
Schree: Mm-hmm. ⁓
Unbreakable Her: It didn't feel odd. And I remember he was leaving out for work one day and it was early. So I it wasn't time for me to leave for school yet. And I looked, I watched him going down the steps. We lived on like a third, I think like a third floor apartment or something. And I asked my mom, because because I had I remember this. I had this sort of urge to be like, bye, dad. But I was six years old, so I already knew he wasn't my father, right? So
Schree: Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: I told my mom, I was like, I asked her, I was like, Can I can I call him dad? Like, it was like, is this normal, weird, whatever? And she said, You can ask him. And so that was it. And from then on, it was dad. And when they were, cause they were off and on, and you know, they like each other this minute. They don't, you know, that's their business. But through all of that time, that's my dad.
Schree: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I didn't know another man. I didn't know I had another dad until maybe I was like. ⁓ five in between five and eight or younger than that. And I've seen this person, but I didn't see that person. The only man I ever knew as a dad was dad That's it. So.
Unbreakable Her: That's just what it was. So so I got my first dad at six. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So ⁓ so it like eventually they eventually they broke up, but again that the relationship just it didn't fracture. It was ⁓ when it was like, you know, when they when they're fussing about the kids need this or whatever, it wasn't like your son needs this, it was like the kids, and I was always included in that. ⁓ the one thing I want to really point out that is so funny to me.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, Absolutely. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: is the fact that our moms get along.
Schree: Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: That is so funny to me.
Schree: Yes, and I love it. I love that. I love that.
Unbreakable Her: And I just remember, I remember, I don't, it's like I don't ever remember the ⁓ like the beginning of it. I just remember Wezzy being there and this is your sister. I I don't remember anybody telling me. I don't remember anybody saying it. I don't remember any big introduction. ⁓ and it was like, this is Wezzy's mom. This is Miss Shirley. Okay. And she is just, let me just say, for the audience, she is just the sweetest person.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Like she's such a sweetheart. and my mom love her some Wezzy
Schree: Yeah. Yes, that's my mom too. Okay, when nobody says my mother.
Unbreakable Her: That's what it is. So so yeah, so this is like it just this is our family. It's like it's like, all right. Okay. Okay. No, go for it.
Schree: Yeah, it's awesome. It's awesome. But I have a backstory. I have a backstory about our moms. I don't know if I want to talk about that now or later because I'm scared. It's little ratchet story.
Unbreakable Her: No, sorry, sorry. If it's too ratchet, we'll edit it. It's fine.
Schree: Okay, but it's okay. So my sister, my older sister was with my mom when they were younger. I think your mom pulled up on my mom, right? is what I was told from my older sister. ⁓ it was going back and forth about Dad huh. And about the baby ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay. Mm-hmm.
Schree: Your mom was giving my mom some rhythm, some words. And my mom started giving her some words because, you know, again, my mom was not that type of person that'd be like, what? But they just was going back at it. And it wasn't nothing like real dramatic. It just was, you know, whatever, whatever. But it was funny that when I hear the story, my sister tells me that, yeah, you know, that happened. And of course they solved whatever the issue was because my mom was basically saying like, I don't even deal with the man. So don't
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: You know, you have no worries about me. Yeah, you have no worries about me. So that was that. Yeah. And then I do remember, I think I do remember when I kind of first met your mom too. Dad, of course brought us around, brought me around. And I remember him holding Greg in his hand like, is your brother. And you know, your mom was there and she was always kind to me, always kind to me, no matter what, always kind to me. So yeah, that was just a little back end. Bye.
Unbreakable Her: Don't even pull up over here. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. No, I yeah.
Schree: That ladies go through. this was a long, time ago.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. And it just that's that's you know, that was part of it. That that was part of the, you know, this my man, you you you know, is is is it was the drama of the moment, right? So, but they definitely just overcame it because we we were literally raised together. Like when dad got us, like he it was all of us. We were, you know, and you know, dad was always going, This is what's funny. Every girlfriend he had.
Schree: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. completely. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: He always like especially when we were younger, he always made sure like he was like, Yeah, y'all have to meet them.
Schree: Yeah, yeah.
Unbreakable Her: And and you know, we would give our our opinions. Mhm. Right. But
Schree: Yeah, Can't say, you know, Daddy Laddy was around.
Unbreakable Her: So Daddy Laddie is our dad's ⁓ I don't know what to call it.
Schree: Let's keep it a hundred. That was his playa name.
Unbreakable Her: His his player name, Daddy Laddie. He literally even had it. So our dad used to have a ⁓ a a a mint green Geo Metro convertible. And it had Daddy Laddie on the ⁓ on the on the license plate. And so yeah, that was that you're exactly right, that was his player name. And you know, that's that's how we moved.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Nope. Yeah, and I don't know if it's because, you know, he had a lot of brothers. There's a, what, six of them? Seven brothers? I think it was seven. So yeah, it was seven because it's nine altogether. So I guess, you know, they probably had to see who was the biggest mack of them all. They were all handsome. They were all handsome. Of course, our dad was the oldest. So yeah, he got it naturally. Got it naturally.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. At least seven seven six so a lot. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah, he he would you know, they were running the Robinsons were running Wanamaker Street. The in West Philly That's that's a hundred percent the truth. I mean, it's still true really now. ⁓ that's that's just what it is. So, ⁓ so what can
Schree: For real. The whole area. The whole area. It is. It is.
Unbreakable Her: What can you share about just some of the things that ⁓ or like how would you describe dad to somebody who doesn't know him, never met him, doesn't know anything about him?
Schree: I would describe him as a strong man, a strong man who definitely, I'll say like a provider that, ⁓ I could say he's stern, but definitely a provider, ⁓ ⁓ his ⁓ a lot of stuff I could say, but ⁓ for the most He is a good standup guy. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think ⁓ One of the things that I started to understand as I got older, and this is in relationship to really all all three of my parents, is that they were navigating a time in the world that is like that that we we we didn't have to navigate. You know, at the time. ⁓ that it is no secret that dad ⁓
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ dad dealt with addiction and when he the the the f fascinating thing about it is when my mom was pregnant with gr with our brother, that is when he was just like, Yeah, I'm going to get clean because I got like I gotta I gotta get my life together. Right. And so and he just did it. And that was it. Like there were no there's no there there have been no relapses. He's just like, I'm I'm that's not my life anymore.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ so when you say like he's strong, I that that's definitely something that that comes to mind.
Schree: Yeah, my mom always talk about that too, like the past. She don't really like to talk too much about it, but it was just things that a lot of black women and men did at those times of the 80s, up in the 80s and the 90s. They did recreational. And I'm just thankful that a lot of them overcame that where so many people didn't. So many kids were left behind because their parents were addicted to things.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Absolutely.
Schree: Our parents came up out of that
Unbreakable Her: Could it?
Schree: probably would never even seen him if they didn't decide to get themselves together and say I have these kids. I have to do better. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Yep. Yeah. So that does kind of that definitely does speak to his ⁓ a level of strength. and you know, he's a he's a military veteran. He was in the army and then the army reserves for a total of like 28 years. Something something real long like that. and you know, so so when one of the funniest things about growing up with dad is
Schree: Are we Yes. Yeah. a story here.
Unbreakable Her: He's now you can speak to this about you, but for me.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: I didn't experience that being cheap with me. Like with like getting me things or like he wasn't cheap about getting things for me. He was real cheap with Greg. Like super cheap. But for me, it was like you can get whatever you want.
Schree: Mm. Mm-hmm Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I didn't ask for much. I wasn't the child to be like, ⁓ I need this, I need that. I... Roll with the flow. It was what it was. ⁓ I ⁓ don't remember asking for much or even receiving much. Even to this day, I don't ask for...
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's very much your character for sure.
Schree: I don't know, I'm more so, yeah, I'm just more so like family oriented. ⁓ It's all about the love, yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So ⁓ they are ⁓ one thing I I learned about that, I actually learned this about him from paying attention to Grandpa and and like his father and and how he whenever we just stopped by grandpa's house. It wasn't like we spent a whole bunch of time over there like
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: When he lived on some small street that was near my grandmom, me and Greg would like stop by when we'd be walking to my grandmom's house. And so, but when we went there, he was either going to hand us money, which would be like a dollar, two dollars, something like that, or a candy bar. So on in life, ⁓ started to understand that like dad doesn't necessarily think about parenting outside of the
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: What can I do or give? You know what I mean? Like it that's more so his mindset when it comes to parenting. So if it was like, you know, hey, like your kid really needs you like emotionally, I don't think he at least at least when like growing up, I don't think that was something that he he was leaning into like when we were younger.
Schree: Mm hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I wonder if that a soft spot for him because I agree. I agree. I wonder if that a soft spot reason why we never got that type of attention. Hmm.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because and I'm thinking about it just in the sense that of us parent the way we were parented. And so
Schree: Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: if if he didn't grow up with like emotional security and safety part of parenting, then he ⁓ maybe wouldn't have known ⁓ to do that, you know, and it's something that he didn't have.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah I know. Yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
Unbreakable Her: So I'm tell you I'm I'm gonna give a story about I'm gonna tell a story about something that happened with that and I I'm just talking about like how ⁓ this is this there's no like script for us talking. ⁓ So ⁓ do you remember that that apartment that he on sec what was it? Sprue stream? Okay. So remember when he was dating Miss Leslie?
Schree: Yes.
Unbreakable Her: The one the one from Harrisburg. And we really liked her. And then when they broke up, we were like, What are you doing? Like, come on, dude. Like you're ruining our lives. She was nice.
Schree: Yes. No I know, because you broke up with her, like she broke up with me now, you know? Why you do that?
Unbreakable Her: Exactly, exactly. Like, come on. So I remember one time, I wanna say, yeah, it had to be me and Greg ⁓ So this one day, Miss Les ⁓ Miss Leslie was cooking in this apartment, which is like style, it's like a long hallway, ⁓ So ⁓ she's in the kitchen, she's cooking.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes.
Unbreakable Her: And she's cooking bacon. And the pan like catches fire. And instead of it's a it's a grease fire. And instead of like smothering the fire, at first she started to throw water on it. And then that made the fire get bigger. So she took the pan.
Schree: Mmm. ⁓ wow. mercy. It's bitter.
Unbreakable Her: Off the stove and dropped it on the floor. So now it's a tile floor in a rented apartment, kitchen tile, and now it's on the floor and she doesn't know what to do. And she's like, ⁓ And so she gets you, Dad had this, ⁓ it was a big giant comforter, like this big blanket that was it was from the army. And she covered the fire. She put the fire out with his army blanket.
Schree: Mmm. ⁓ Was he there? You say it was this.
Unbreakable Her: It was I feel like feel like he went out. Like I feel like he wasn't in the house. ⁓ she was all panicking. And of course, like we didn't know what to do. And then he just came back and he was like, Well, what did you why'd you use the blanket And she was like, Well, I didn't know what else to do. So for the whole rest of the time he lived in that apartment, there was this ⁓ in the on the kitchen floor, the tile was burnt out. ⁓
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mercy. Mercy, Hen.
Unbreakable Her: So I remember him being real frustrated, like real mad about that blanket. ⁓ but those were the those were the things that would happen, like it it was just so random. Like
Schree: I bet it. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: My you know, my experience being being with him, it was just random stuff. Like it
Schree: He had mines too, honestly. It was random stuff. Like growing up again, I would see him periodically throughout the years. He would just pop up. I would see him, then I wouldn't see him. I would see him, then I wouldn't see him. But it was always happy times when I seen him. I was very happy. And this is as I have gotten older now, because when I was younger, he would get me, I would go to the block and it would always be me, Yana, ⁓ and Karen.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: like growing up. And then as I got older, I think how I started coming around with you guys, like once Greg was born, little Greg, and he started bringing me around. And then I think as your mom seen that I was mature enough to go to the house and be with y'all, that's why you would stay like, you was there. Because I kind of feel like we didn't have cell phones back then. I was told some kind of way to
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: go check on y'all. And ⁓ yeah, that's what would happen. Once I got over to high school, and the area you guys was in, I was in the same area. So I remember a lot of times leaving school, coming back up this way, but stopping by to check on y'all first. And then I would go on my way. yeah, yeah, a lot of times it was like that. That's why I was just, I was like.
Unbreakable Her: Well, okay. Yeah. Yeah, she just here. Like, hey, hey. Yeah. Th that would explain it.
Schree: What are doing here? I'm popping up on y'all. Like what y'all doing in here? I can see it in my mind right now, so vivid of y'all. Especially when y'all was around, not too far around a corner from me, on Delancey Street. You guys were still small and I would go around here and check on y'all. Yeah, we had to.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep. You know, one thing I forgot to point out is that even though me and you were ⁓ are not his biological children, all three of us have April birthdays, which is wild. You're the twelfth, Greg's the thirteenth, and then I'm the twenty eighth, which is just crazy. It's like it's it's like, ⁓ yeah, he he he's he was always gonna be our dad. You know what I mean? Like it just kinda it kind of feels like that. ⁓
Schree: Yes. Yeah, yes, it's like perfect.
Unbreakable Her: For can you think of a time where like you needed dad, like you needed him for something? It like whether it was like to do something or to get something or whatever, and like you called him and he was just like there for you.
Schree: Yeah, my wedding day. ⁓ I think me when I was younger, ⁓ I was sick. had asthma really bad and I had eczema. So I guess my mom would call like the brain medicine or emergency rooms like that. But the most time I him when he came was when I got married. I was like that, I need you to get married, make sure you get on the aisle, stuff like that. Yeah. when I needed dad the most, well, not the most, ⁓ the where I needed him was when I got married. ⁓ And when I met his second wife, ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Mm. Don't say Daddy Laddy's name.
Schree: ⁓ I apologize. you ⁓
Unbreakable Her: what's interesting. So you want to know do you remember us talking about I know me and Greg did, and I I feel like we all we definitely talked about this. The fact that when he ⁓ got married to his second wife, we were like ⁓
Schree: Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: We didn't It just didn't make any sense to us because she was thin.
Schree: Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Mmhmm.
Unbreakable Her: It was like we didn't
Schree: That's You know?
Unbreakable Her: We definitely were talking about this. Me it was like this d this doesn't make any sense because we're just used to you being we were used to him being with women that had more shape to them. And then he went and married a thin woman and we it was just kind of one of those things where it was like, Well, it's his his choice,
Schree: Yep. Yep.
Unbreakable Her: your mom, my mom, ⁓ right now, if they go to a Robinson event, it's all ⁓ All dads, siblings, the whole family loves them.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Because you can't tell nobody on the Robinson side that we ain't his kids. You can't ⁓ nobody that. You can't tell ⁓ nobody that. So
Unbreakable Her: Exactly. Yep. Mm. I don't feel the need to be don't feel I don't feel the need to like sugarcoat things and like make things different than they are and I think dad's a good man.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: Like I don't think that I don't think that changes because it was a little awkward, especially because he was navigating like being a dad because he chose to be our dad, but he was also navigating the other parts of life too. ⁓ and so it it wasn't always, you know, it wasn't always easy. And the one thing that I I always felt like we were
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Like me, you and Greg, I felt like, you know, like like we're his family. You know what I mean? Like whoever he marries.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Definitely. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: That's his business. But like, you know what I'm saying? Like we we've been here and we're not going anywhere. So, you know, w dad's dad is a serial monogamous. Like he can't he can't be alone. So, so like he finally gets
Schree: Yeah, yeah, I get where you're going. Yes. None of them can go. I've noticed that like none of them can be. I don't know if that's because they grew up in the house with a mother and a father, but for the most part our uncles, you know, they have a lady with them. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. They all attached. Yep. I p I've paid attention to that with that. It's like he doesn't he can't really be by himself. So so when he
Schree: Yeah, yeah. Because every time he would come to me in these periodic moments of the years, he had a different girlfriend. Every time. be like, you know, as I'm older, I'm like, well, who was this? It was always a different lady. And he was claiming them, honey. And then I guess he wasn't no more. I remember this.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That's Daddy Lady. Always. Right. Yeah, like like
Schree: Another girlfriend he had, I just felt so bad for her. She was so nice to us too. I mean...
Unbreakable Her: Which one?
Schree: Hey. Do you remember her?
Unbreakable Her: I don't remember her.
Schree: think she lived out, ⁓ Was she in Harrisburg as well? I think she was too.
Unbreakable Her: I don't know. I only remember Miss Leslie and then I remember Peaches.
Schree: I remember Peaches today. Yeah, but you had a lady named Pat, so she was very nice too. ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. I don't re I don't remember her but I definitely I tr I trust it. He did have some nice ones but he just chose not to he just chose to never mind. ⁓
Schree: Luan, lady called me, she said, I felt so bad, said, your dad dumped me.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ no
Schree: You how bad I felt? I was very young too at the time. was like my young point. Yeah. This was like, uh... Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Did she really? ⁓ d so you like you have formed like a bond with her? ⁓ man.
Schree: Because I was up there a couple of times with them. I'm just like, what you done did now, sir?
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ yeah, he did have a second Harrisburg girlfriend. Yes. Yes. I remember her. Yes. Yep. I didn't remember her name. Yep, I do remember her. Yep, yep, yep. Yeah. So that was he he was always gonna have a woman. That's just his.
Schree: Yeah, her name was Tyra. And she had like all the artwork. Like all those, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep. You gotta have. Yes, the Joseph Mary here.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. That's that's yeah, yeah. So I mean he got out of he got out of that one ⁓ yeah, he got married again 'cause that's what he gonna do. Like it's no ⁓ d is it wasn't like, ⁓ yeah, that's just gonna be bachelor. Never gonna happen. ⁓ Never it was never gonna happen.
Schree: Yeah. I wonder what's best about, you know? I think we should spend, this is kind of cool talking to you right now. And we will have more information on stuff. Dad talks about the same story about why he did this and that. It'd be the same story, then he brings up, yeah, and I'd be like, no, you need to hear from us so that you can have understanding on how we feel, because you keep talking about how you feel and why you did these things. But a lot of those things don't make no sense.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. I don't know. Mm-hmm. The same. Mm-hmm.
Schree: Okay, Papa? So you should listen to us and hear our story sometimes.
Unbreakable Her: Greg, I think it would be funny to get the three of us, like me, you, and Greg, and talk too, because Greg has a whole different perspective for of everything. ⁓ But I think ultimately, like I was and and have always been very, very appreciative of I didn't meet my bio dad until I was 31. So
Schree: Mm-hmm. I know. Mm-hmm. I know. know. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: So dad was my only dad, you know, ⁓ f for all that time. And for for all his flaws, ⁓ he chose to be my dad. Like that that's kind of where I land with it is like he could have very easily just been like, That's not that's not my child. You know what I'm saying? So yeah, he didn't do he didn't do it perfectly, he he didn't do it well in a lot of spaces, but
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, Well, So the most part, to sum it all up with dad I mean, ⁓ I truly, truly, truly, truly love him. for ⁓ everything he's done.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah.
Schree: It doesn't matter if it was two or three things or 200 to 300 things. I'm thankful and I'm grateful, like you said, very appreciative. And I'm happy to know him, to know him, to know my family.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah.
Schree: He does his best. I'll say that he does his best. On how to be a dad, how to be a father, he doesn't, well, he knows it's bad. Doesn't mean, you know, necessarily mean they're doing it right or wrong. He just knows it is his best. So I accept that.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a really good way to to to put it and to sum it up. ⁓ is you there's a saying you you when you know better, you do better. ⁓ and think with us as young children, I think you're right that he did ⁓ I it's a combination of he did the best that he could with with the knowledge that he had and he and also with what he saw.
Schree: Yeah. He did that. Yeah. again. Yes. Yep.
Unbreakable Her: You know, like the examples that he had. So, ⁓ you know, taking on deciding to be dad to two kids that like you he didn't have to. ⁓ you know, there listen, as many men will walk away from children that are definitely theirs, like, you know, there's something to be said for that, right? So,
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ I called him I wanna say like maybe a month and a half ago because I hadn't heard from Dad at all. And I was like, I called him, I was like, ⁓ cause I called him and he like if I felt like he sent me the voicemail and I said, I text him, I said, Are you ignoring my calls on purpose? And he was like, No, no, I was busy or whatever. And so I talked to him, I said, I said, You alive? You kicking, you good? 'Cause I ain't hear nothing from you, sir. I hear nothing from you 'cause that we're that we're not doing this.
Schree: Mm-hmm. That's my line. Girl, I say the same thing. Are you alive today? Hello? I do say that. That's so funny. You said that.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah, because he ⁓ like we gotta notice. You know what I'm saying? Like it's like dad, stay in touch with us.
Schree: So like I said, yeah, because I called him yesterday. Like I said, I called him yesterday or the day before. He didn't answer. So I called his wife. She pick up. I said, where's dad? he right there. Why you didn't answer the phone? Now you want to talk in the background. ⁓ my ringer is still off. OK, Papa.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that's the thing, it's like I definitely give him Grace now 'cause he just old you know, he got he got he got all his white hair. His hair is all white. Like he r he really an old man now. ⁓ Yes, we do. We we do.
Schree: Yeah! Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, we gotta go down there together and bum rush him. Because I straight went down there and bum rushed him twice. That was my first time. just recently, after all the years he was down there, I went to see him not last year, but the year before that Christmas was the first time I ever been down there. I just jumped on the plane and went down there because I just needed to see him. I haven't seen him in so long. And like,
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, because he doesn't even really take trips up here that much. I the last time we were all together was that they whatever it was that Father's Day when we went to the ⁓ the buffet. Dad, love, listen. I got no, I got to say this. Let me tell you that Gregory Robinson Sr. love himself a Chinese buffet. Okay. The man
Schree: ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Like to eat. Yes. I don't know what's that about, but I'm sick of it. And how about when I went down there, where did we go? To a fricken buffet.
Unbreakable Her: Chinese buffet.
Schree: What is the price? Okay, is you cheap?
Unbreakable Her: Listen, he's gonna find himself a buffet because yeah, we go on over. Cause I had told him this was like a Father's Day where I was spending time with him and with my bio dad. And I said, I'll do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So I checked their schedules and for I I was gonna see him in the afternoon, or maybe it was the Saturday or whatever it was. And I said, Where you wanna go to eat? Like I, you know, I'm taking you. This happy Father's Day. I'm a I'm a grown-up, I have a job, I can take you to dinner, right? And he's like,
Schree: Yeah. Yeah. Mmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ now I'm thinking he's gonna say like a steakhouse, you know. This man said, I mean, I'm going over to the buffet. I said, Okay, dad. I said, Okay, dad. That's that's cool. If if you happy at the buffet, okay. We'll just go to the buffet. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we definitely gotta go gotta go down. We gotta plan it. And ⁓
Schree: We gotta go there and just bum rush them.
Unbreakable Her: What I wanna highlight is that dad didn't come in with a lot of the tools necessary to be like an ideal father, but he chose to be a father to children that were not biologically his because he loved us.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: he's always gonna get credit that from me.
Schree: Yeah, yeah, of course.
Unbreakable Her: You know, for the times that he was there and I needed, you know, what yeah, like I'm grateful when when it w he's he certainly was at all my stuff. Like, you know, graduations, like all my my my big important stuff, he was there. and so, you know, I'm thankful for that because it mattered. You know, like it it did matter. So
Schree: Whatever. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Unbreakable Her: So yeah, and he's got, you know, he I feel like every time we're around him and he's he he tells ⁓ Like you said, he tells the same he does tell the same stories over and over. But I feel like every time we're around him, he starts to tell a little bit more or an another piece of the story. And he has had a wild life. And the fact that he's overcome
Schree: Yeah. No. Yeah, yeah, that's why he gets the yeah, he gets the call for a lot of things.
Unbreakable Her: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Just dealing with the stuff he's dealt he he dealt with coming from the place he comes from. ⁓ to get to the point where like, you know, he he decides that, you know, this is I'm not gonna live like this anymore. And he literally just quits drugs. Like, you know, like I this I I'm not gonna do this anymore and I'm gonna straighten up my life and just decides to do it. ⁓
Schree: Yeah, and he did it and he mastered it, like, because he was very, very successful after that.
Unbreakable Her: That's it. It it's been that yep. Yep. Greg talks all little Greg as you as we call him talks a lot of a lot of the times about how he can be around his siblings and stuff and they Lord knows the Robinson's gonna drink and stuff, but like it it don't he He's good. Like he he made the decision and I mean it's just it's so impressive when it's like, yeah, I'm not I can't do that anymore.
Schree: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, doesn't bother him, it doesn't affect him at all.
Unbreakable Her: Like that's not how I wanna treat my body and it's not how I wanna live anymore. So yeah, he get he absolutely gets a lot of credit for for being able to do that. It takes a sh a strong person for sure. ⁓ a lot of determination. ⁓ and I yeah, I'm grateful for him because from the time I was like I didn't have a dad until I was six years old. You know what I mean? He's my dad. Yeah. And that's it. That's it. Like this is
Schree: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep, that's right. And you're my sister, and now my brother. That's right.
Unbreakable Her: This is the f this is a family, like people say a lot of times, like you don't get to choose your family. In our case, like we kind of did, you know, because you know, even after Dad made the choice, we could have very well like, no, like ⁓ right, you over there, whatever. But no, like we really are. We really are a family. Like I talking to Greg the other day and I was like, I said, Yeah, Wezzy always show for me. Like I I s ⁓ it something that we were talking about. And I was like, I was like, Yeah.
Schree: Yeah. Yeah! Yeah. Yeah. gonna...
Unbreakable Her: That's that's really really my family for real.
Schree: That's right. You, I don't know if you noticed or not, you, Amanda, Junie, are my heart. It's always been that way. I'm about to cry.
Unbreakable Her: as we close episode, maybe that's the gift ⁓ that dad gave us ⁓ is the gift of each other.
Schree: Yes, yes, and I'm very happy about that.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah. Really thankful. Sweet. So that is it for this episode of the Unbreakable Her Podcast. Thank you everybody for joining us. we'll see you on the next in the meantime. Stay unbreakable.
Schree: Thank you. You're very welcome. I love you to every day.
Unbreakable Her: So here's here's what's cool about this story, right? So I I said I have two dads, and let me explain. So I have my first dad, this is kind of how I refer to them. My first dad, and then my birth dad. My first dad ⁓ is ⁓ actually my brother's dad. ⁓ And ⁓ me Wezzy share This dad and and our brother, we share him, but he is not either of our biodad. So this is it's it's cool when you when you really think about it. So ⁓ I'm gonna walk you through a little bit of like the timeline. Well, we're gonna walk you through a little bit of the timeline. ⁓ but comes first. So ⁓ he ⁓ our dad, ⁓ Greg Robinson Sr. ⁓ dated Wezzy's mom before he met my mom. And why am I trying to explain it? You're here. You can explain it. Like, how do you remember dad coming into your life?
Schree: Thank you. It's just, it's just, So hearing the stories growing up, my sisters, my mom, my aunts, our uncles on dad's side told me the story. This is what I was told, that when my mother came to Philadelphia from Delaware, she met dad and they became good friends. And I believe she was pregnant with me when they met. And of course she had me and he was around. And I was months old, maybe two months old, and he decided that he wanted to be my dad because my biological father was back in the other state of Delaware or wherever he was living at the time. So him and my mom, I guess, decided that was cool. I guess back in that time, times was rough, whatever the case may be. But Greg, our dad, I wanted that responsibility ⁓ to be a father and to have a child. So my mom was with it. And that pretty much sums it up of how it all started. And then I remember a story that my mom telling our dad, don't let nothing happen to my daughter now because he took me. He took me right away to his mom and that's all they knew. They didn't know if it was. It was or it wasn't. just knew that this was Greg coming around with a baby and that's his daughter. And that's how it started.
Unbreakable Her: That is so that is so dad Like it's so it's so interesting. Like just
Schree: Good night. Yes, it's like you found a puppy brought home. Hey, here's a puppy. Maybe that's why you got it. You know?
Unbreakable Her: It's the same. Yeah. But it's so it's so interesting though because that really like once he made that decision, that was he decided like you can't to this very moment, you cannot say to him, like, ⁓ that's not those aren't your real daughters, or like you're not their real dad. You if you want to make him mad, say that. Like that's that's what it'll be. So
Schree: We will be. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's what it would be.
Unbreakable Her: is where this is a story that gets interesting because so dad and your mom were together for ⁓ however like I don't know the timeline, then ⁓ at point they're not together anymore. But that means nothing for the fact that like that's your dad.
Schree: Yeah, yeah, that was a good thing too, because whatever happened, know, through their life at that time, it never changed anything between me and him.
Unbreakable Her: so so eventually he g gets to the point where he dates my mom. And then when they're together, ⁓ she becomes pregnant in the of their relationship with Greg. So Greg is our the junior, he's our our younger brother. Now ⁓ what happened was we all together when when Greg was born. So like leading up to him being born. And it's the same ⁓ is it's very similar. Like
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: When my when he found out my mom was pregnant, he actually took my mom back to my grandmom's. So like to her mom's and was like, Look, I'm going to like get things together so that like I can take care of them. So like just, you know, take care of them for a little bit and then I would you know, because at that point, it's not just ⁓ my mom's pregnant with his baby, but it's me and my sister Amanda. So he's coming into it on his side, he has you.
Schree: Mm-hmm. year.
Unbreakable Her: And on her side, she's got two, and now they're about to have a baby. So when we end up moving in together, I probably like right before Greg was born. And then, like, I will never forget this. So Greg is six years younger than me. Yeah. Six years. So I will never forget. We all lived in this in the house together. He wasn't like it never felt it didn't feel like
Schree: Mm-hmm. ⁓
Unbreakable Her: It didn't feel odd. And I remember he was leaving out for work one day and it was early. So I it wasn't time for me to leave for school yet. And I looked, I watched him going down the steps. We lived on like a third, I think like a third floor apartment or something. And I asked my mom, because because I had I remember this. I had this sort of urge to be like, bye, dad. But I was six years old, so I already knew he wasn't my father, right? So
Schree: Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: I told my mom, I was like, I asked her, I was like, Can I can I call him dad? Like, it was like, is this normal, weird, whatever? And she said, You can ask him. And so that was it. And from then on, it was dad. And when they were, cause they were off and on, and you know, they like each other this minute. They don't, you know, that's their business. But through all of that time, that's my dad.
Schree: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I didn't know another man. I didn't know I had another dad until maybe I was like. ⁓ five in between five and eight or younger than that. And I've seen this person, but I didn't see that person. The only man I ever knew as a dad was dad That's it. So.
Unbreakable Her: That's just what it was. So so I got my first dad at six. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So ⁓ so it like eventually they eventually they broke up, but again that the relationship just it didn't fracture. It was ⁓ when it was like, you know, when they when they're fussing about the kids need this or whatever, it wasn't like your son needs this, it was like the kids, and I was always included in that. ⁓ the one thing I want to really point out that is so funny to me.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, Absolutely. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: is the fact that our moms get along.
Schree: Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: That is so funny to me.
Schree: Yes, and I love it. I love that. I love that.
Unbreakable Her: And I just remember, I remember, I don't, it's like I don't ever remember the ⁓ like the beginning of it. I just remember Wezzy being there and this is your sister. I I don't remember anybody telling me. I don't remember anybody saying it. I don't remember any big introduction. ⁓ and it was like, this is Wezzy's mom. This is Miss Shirley. Okay. And she is just, let me just say, for the audience, she is just the sweetest person.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Like she's such a sweetheart. and my mom love her some Wezzy
Schree: Yeah. Yes, that's my mom too. Okay, when nobody says my mother.
Unbreakable Her: That's what it is. So so yeah, so this is like it just this is our family. It's like it's like, all right. Okay. Okay. No, go for it.
Schree: Yeah, it's awesome. It's awesome. But I have a backstory. I have a backstory about our moms. I don't know if I want to talk about that now or later because I'm scared. It's little ratchet story.
Unbreakable Her: No, sorry, sorry. If it's too ratchet, we'll edit it. It's fine.
Schree: Okay, but it's okay. So my sister, my older sister was with my mom when they were younger. I think your mom pulled up on my mom, right? is what I was told from my older sister. ⁓ it was going back and forth about Dad huh. And about the baby ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay. Mm-hmm.
Schree: Your mom was giving my mom some rhythm, some words. And my mom started giving her some words because, you know, again, my mom was not that type of person that'd be like, what? But they just was going back at it. And it wasn't nothing like real dramatic. It just was, you know, whatever, whatever. But it was funny that when I hear the story, my sister tells me that, yeah, you know, that happened. And of course they solved whatever the issue was because my mom was basically saying like, I don't even deal with the man. So don't
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: You know, you have no worries about me. Yeah, you have no worries about me. So that was that. Yeah. And then I do remember, I think I do remember when I kind of first met your mom too. Dad, of course brought us around, brought me around. And I remember him holding Greg in his hand like, is your brother. And you know, your mom was there and she was always kind to me, always kind to me, no matter what, always kind to me. So yeah, that was just a little back end. Bye.
Unbreakable Her: Don't even pull up over here. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. No, I yeah.
Schree: That ladies go through. this was a long, time ago.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. And it just that's that's you know, that was part of it. That that was part of the, you know, this my man, you you you know, is is is it was the drama of the moment, right? So, but they definitely just overcame it because we we were literally raised together. Like when dad got us, like he it was all of us. We were, you know, and you know, dad was always going, This is what's funny. Every girlfriend he had.
Schree: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. completely. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: He always like especially when we were younger, he always made sure like he was like, Yeah, y'all have to meet them.
Schree: Yeah, yeah.
Unbreakable Her: And and you know, we would give our our opinions. Mhm. Right. But
Schree: Yeah, Can't say, you know, Daddy Laddy was around.
Unbreakable Her: So Daddy Laddie is our dad's ⁓ I don't know what to call it.
Schree: Let's keep it a hundred. That was his playa name.
Unbreakable Her: His his player name, Daddy Laddie. He literally even had it. So our dad used to have a ⁓ a a a mint green Geo Metro convertible. And it had Daddy Laddie on the ⁓ on the on the license plate. And so yeah, that was that you're exactly right, that was his player name. And you know, that's that's how we moved.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Nope. Yeah, and I don't know if it's because, you know, he had a lot of brothers. There's a, what, six of them? Seven brothers? I think it was seven. So yeah, it was seven because it's nine altogether. So I guess, you know, they probably had to see who was the biggest mack of them all. They were all handsome. They were all handsome. Of course, our dad was the oldest. So yeah, he got it naturally. Got it naturally.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. At least seven seven six so a lot. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah, he he would you know, they were running the Robinsons were running Wanamaker Street. The in West Philly That's that's a hundred percent the truth. I mean, it's still true really now. ⁓ that's that's just what it is. So, ⁓ so what can
Schree: For real. The whole area. The whole area. It is. It is.
Unbreakable Her: What can you share about just some of the things that ⁓ or like how would you describe dad to somebody who doesn't know him, never met him, doesn't know anything about him?
Schree: I would describe him as a strong man, a strong man who definitely, I'll say like a provider that, ⁓ I could say he's stern, but definitely a provider, ⁓ ⁓ his ⁓ a lot of stuff I could say, but ⁓ for the most He is a good standup guy. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think ⁓ One of the things that I started to understand as I got older, and this is in relationship to really all all three of my parents, is that they were navigating a time in the world that is like that that we we we didn't have to navigate. You know, at the time. ⁓ that it is no secret that dad ⁓
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ dad dealt with addiction and when he the the the f fascinating thing about it is when my mom was pregnant with gr with our brother, that is when he was just like, Yeah, I'm going to get clean because I got like I gotta I gotta get my life together. Right. And so and he just did it. And that was it. Like there were no there's no there there have been no relapses. He's just like, I'm I'm that's not my life anymore.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ so when you say like he's strong, I that that's definitely something that that comes to mind.
Schree: Yeah, my mom always talk about that too, like the past. She don't really like to talk too much about it, but it was just things that a lot of black women and men did at those times of the 80s, up in the 80s and the 90s. They did recreational. And I'm just thankful that a lot of them overcame that where so many people didn't. So many kids were left behind because their parents were addicted to things.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Absolutely.
Schree: Our parents came up out of that
Unbreakable Her: Could it?
Schree: probably would never even seen him if they didn't decide to get themselves together and say I have these kids. I have to do better. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Yep. Yeah. So that does kind of that definitely does speak to his ⁓ a level of strength. and you know, he's a he's a military veteran. He was in the army and then the army reserves for a total of like 28 years. Something something real long like that. and you know, so so when one of the funniest things about growing up with dad is
Schree: Are we Yes. Yeah. a story here.
Unbreakable Her: He's now you can speak to this about you, but for me.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: I didn't experience that being cheap with me. Like with like getting me things or like he wasn't cheap about getting things for me. He was real cheap with Greg. Like super cheap. But for me, it was like you can get whatever you want.
Schree: Mm. Mm-hmm Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I didn't ask for much. I wasn't the child to be like, ⁓ I need this, I need that. I... Roll with the flow. It was what it was. ⁓ I ⁓ don't remember asking for much or even receiving much. Even to this day, I don't ask for...
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's very much your character for sure.
Schree: I don't know, I'm more so, yeah, I'm just more so like family oriented. ⁓ It's all about the love, yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So ⁓ they are ⁓ one thing I I learned about that, I actually learned this about him from paying attention to Grandpa and and like his father and and how he whenever we just stopped by grandpa's house. It wasn't like we spent a whole bunch of time over there like
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: When he lived on some small street that was near my grandmom, me and Greg would like stop by when we'd be walking to my grandmom's house. And so, but when we went there, he was either going to hand us money, which would be like a dollar, two dollars, something like that, or a candy bar. So on in life, ⁓ started to understand that like dad doesn't necessarily think about parenting outside of the
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: What can I do or give? You know what I mean? Like it that's more so his mindset when it comes to parenting. So if it was like, you know, hey, like your kid really needs you like emotionally, I don't think he at least at least when like growing up, I don't think that was something that he he was leaning into like when we were younger.
Schree: Mm hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I wonder if that a soft spot for him because I agree. I agree. I wonder if that a soft spot reason why we never got that type of attention. Hmm.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because and I'm thinking about it just in the sense that of us parent the way we were parented. And so
Schree: Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: if if he didn't grow up with like emotional security and safety part of parenting, then he ⁓ maybe wouldn't have known ⁓ to do that, you know, and it's something that he didn't have.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah I know. Yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
Unbreakable Her: So I'm tell you I'm I'm gonna give a story about I'm gonna tell a story about something that happened with that and I I'm just talking about like how ⁓ this is this there's no like script for us talking. ⁓ So ⁓ do you remember that that apartment that he on sec what was it? Sprue stream? Okay. So remember when he was dating Miss Leslie?
Schree: Yes.
Unbreakable Her: The one the one from Harrisburg. And we really liked her. And then when they broke up, we were like, What are you doing? Like, come on, dude. Like you're ruining our lives. She was nice.
Schree: Yes. No I know, because you broke up with her, like she broke up with me now, you know? Why you do that?
Unbreakable Her: Exactly, exactly. Like, come on. So I remember one time, I wanna say, yeah, it had to be me and Greg ⁓ So this one day, Miss Les ⁓ Miss Leslie was cooking in this apartment, which is like style, it's like a long hallway, ⁓ So ⁓ she's in the kitchen, she's cooking.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes.
Unbreakable Her: And she's cooking bacon. And the pan like catches fire. And instead of it's a it's a grease fire. And instead of like smothering the fire, at first she started to throw water on it. And then that made the fire get bigger. So she took the pan.
Schree: Mmm. ⁓ wow. mercy. It's bitter.
Unbreakable Her: Off the stove and dropped it on the floor. So now it's a tile floor in a rented apartment, kitchen tile, and now it's on the floor and she doesn't know what to do. And she's like, ⁓ And so she gets you, Dad had this, ⁓ it was a big giant comforter, like this big blanket that was it was from the army. And she covered the fire. She put the fire out with his army blanket.
Schree: Mmm. ⁓ Was he there? You say it was this.
Unbreakable Her: It was I feel like feel like he went out. Like I feel like he wasn't in the house. ⁓ she was all panicking. And of course, like we didn't know what to do. And then he just came back and he was like, Well, what did you why'd you use the blanket And she was like, Well, I didn't know what else to do. So for the whole rest of the time he lived in that apartment, there was this ⁓ in the on the kitchen floor, the tile was burnt out. ⁓
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mercy. Mercy, Hen.
Unbreakable Her: So I remember him being real frustrated, like real mad about that blanket. ⁓ but those were the those were the things that would happen, like it it was just so random. Like
Schree: I bet it. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: My you know, my experience being being with him, it was just random stuff. Like it
Schree: He had mines too, honestly. It was random stuff. Like growing up again, I would see him periodically throughout the years. He would just pop up. I would see him, then I wouldn't see him. I would see him, then I wouldn't see him. But it was always happy times when I seen him. I was very happy. And this is as I have gotten older now, because when I was younger, he would get me, I would go to the block and it would always be me, Yana, ⁓ and Karen.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: like growing up. And then as I got older, I think how I started coming around with you guys, like once Greg was born, little Greg, and he started bringing me around. And then I think as your mom seen that I was mature enough to go to the house and be with y'all, that's why you would stay like, you was there. Because I kind of feel like we didn't have cell phones back then. I was told some kind of way to
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Schree: go check on y'all. And ⁓ yeah, that's what would happen. Once I got over to high school, and the area you guys was in, I was in the same area. So I remember a lot of times leaving school, coming back up this way, but stopping by to check on y'all first. And then I would go on my way. yeah, yeah, a lot of times it was like that. That's why I was just, I was like.
Unbreakable Her: Well, okay. Yeah. Yeah, she just here. Like, hey, hey. Yeah. Th that would explain it.
Schree: What are doing here? I'm popping up on y'all. Like what y'all doing in here? I can see it in my mind right now, so vivid of y'all. Especially when y'all was around, not too far around a corner from me, on Delancey Street. You guys were still small and I would go around here and check on y'all. Yeah, we had to.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep. You know, one thing I forgot to point out is that even though me and you were ⁓ are not his biological children, all three of us have April birthdays, which is wild. You're the twelfth, Greg's the thirteenth, and then I'm the twenty eighth, which is just crazy. It's like it's it's like, ⁓ yeah, he he he's he was always gonna be our dad. You know what I mean? Like it just kinda it kind of feels like that. ⁓
Schree: Yes. Yeah, yes, it's like perfect.
Unbreakable Her: For can you think of a time where like you needed dad, like you needed him for something? It like whether it was like to do something or to get something or whatever, and like you called him and he was just like there for you.
Schree: Yeah, my wedding day. ⁓ I think me when I was younger, ⁓ I was sick. had asthma really bad and I had eczema. So I guess my mom would call like the brain medicine or emergency rooms like that. But the most time I him when he came was when I got married. I was like that, I need you to get married, make sure you get on the aisle, stuff like that. Yeah. when I needed dad the most, well, not the most, ⁓ the where I needed him was when I got married. ⁓ And when I met his second wife, ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Mm. Don't say Daddy Laddy's name.
Schree: ⁓ I apologize. you ⁓
Unbreakable Her: what's interesting. So you want to know do you remember us talking about I know me and Greg did, and I I feel like we all we definitely talked about this. The fact that when he ⁓ got married to his second wife, we were like ⁓
Schree: Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: We didn't It just didn't make any sense to us because she was thin.
Schree: Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Mmhmm.
Unbreakable Her: It was like we didn't
Schree: That's You know?
Unbreakable Her: We definitely were talking about this. Me it was like this d this doesn't make any sense because we're just used to you being we were used to him being with women that had more shape to them. And then he went and married a thin woman and we it was just kind of one of those things where it was like, Well, it's his his choice,
Schree: Yep. Yep.
Unbreakable Her: your mom, my mom, ⁓ right now, if they go to a Robinson event, it's all ⁓ All dads, siblings, the whole family loves them.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Because you can't tell nobody on the Robinson side that we ain't his kids. You can't ⁓ nobody that. You can't tell ⁓ nobody that. So
Unbreakable Her: Exactly. Yep. Mm. I don't feel the need to be don't feel I don't feel the need to like sugarcoat things and like make things different than they are and I think dad's a good man.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: Like I don't think that I don't think that changes because it was a little awkward, especially because he was navigating like being a dad because he chose to be our dad, but he was also navigating the other parts of life too. ⁓ and so it it wasn't always, you know, it wasn't always easy. And the one thing that I I always felt like we were
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Like me, you and Greg, I felt like, you know, like like we're his family. You know what I mean? Like whoever he marries.
Schree: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Definitely. Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: That's his business. But like, you know what I'm saying? Like we we've been here and we're not going anywhere. So, you know, w dad's dad is a serial monogamous. Like he can't he can't be alone. So, so like he finally gets
Schree: Yeah, yeah, I get where you're going. Yes. None of them can go. I've noticed that like none of them can be. I don't know if that's because they grew up in the house with a mother and a father, but for the most part our uncles, you know, they have a lady with them. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. They all attached. Yep. I p I've paid attention to that with that. It's like he doesn't he can't really be by himself. So so when he
Schree: Yeah, yeah. Because every time he would come to me in these periodic moments of the years, he had a different girlfriend. Every time. be like, you know, as I'm older, I'm like, well, who was this? It was always a different lady. And he was claiming them, honey. And then I guess he wasn't no more. I remember this.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That's Daddy Lady. Always. Right. Yeah, like like
Schree: Another girlfriend he had, I just felt so bad for her. She was so nice to us too. I mean...
Unbreakable Her: Which one?
Schree: Hey. Do you remember her?
Unbreakable Her: I don't remember her.
Schree: think she lived out, ⁓ Was she in Harrisburg as well? I think she was too.
Unbreakable Her: I don't know. I only remember Miss Leslie and then I remember Peaches.
Schree: I remember Peaches today. Yeah, but you had a lady named Pat, so she was very nice too. ⁓
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. I don't re I don't remember her but I definitely I tr I trust it. He did have some nice ones but he just chose not to he just chose to never mind. ⁓
Schree: Luan, lady called me, she said, I felt so bad, said, your dad dumped me.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ no
Schree: You how bad I felt? I was very young too at the time. was like my young point. Yeah. This was like, uh... Yeah. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: Did she really? ⁓ d so you like you have formed like a bond with her? ⁓ man.
Schree: Because I was up there a couple of times with them. I'm just like, what you done did now, sir?
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ yeah, he did have a second Harrisburg girlfriend. Yes. Yes. I remember her. Yes. Yep. I didn't remember her name. Yep, I do remember her. Yep, yep, yep. Yeah. So that was he he was always gonna have a woman. That's just his.
Schree: Yeah, her name was Tyra. And she had like all the artwork. Like all those, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep. You gotta have. Yes, the Joseph Mary here.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. That's that's yeah, yeah. So I mean he got out of he got out of that one ⁓ yeah, he got married again 'cause that's what he gonna do. Like it's no ⁓ d is it wasn't like, ⁓ yeah, that's just gonna be bachelor. Never gonna happen. ⁓ Never it was never gonna happen.
Schree: Yeah. I wonder what's best about, you know? I think we should spend, this is kind of cool talking to you right now. And we will have more information on stuff. Dad talks about the same story about why he did this and that. It'd be the same story, then he brings up, yeah, and I'd be like, no, you need to hear from us so that you can have understanding on how we feel, because you keep talking about how you feel and why you did these things. But a lot of those things don't make no sense.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. I don't know. Mm-hmm. The same. Mm-hmm.
Schree: Okay, Papa? So you should listen to us and hear our story sometimes.
Unbreakable Her: Greg, I think it would be funny to get the three of us, like me, you, and Greg, and talk too, because Greg has a whole different perspective for of everything. ⁓ But I think ultimately, like I was and and have always been very, very appreciative of I didn't meet my bio dad until I was 31. So
Schree: Mm-hmm. I know. Mm-hmm. I know. know. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: So dad was my only dad, you know, ⁓ f for all that time. And for for all his flaws, ⁓ he chose to be my dad. Like that that's kind of where I land with it is like he could have very easily just been like, That's not that's not my child. You know what I'm saying? So yeah, he didn't do he didn't do it perfectly, he he didn't do it well in a lot of spaces, but
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, Well, So the most part, to sum it all up with dad I mean, ⁓ I truly, truly, truly, truly love him. for ⁓ everything he's done.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah.
Schree: It doesn't matter if it was two or three things or 200 to 300 things. I'm thankful and I'm grateful, like you said, very appreciative. And I'm happy to know him, to know him, to know my family.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah.
Schree: He does his best. I'll say that he does his best. On how to be a dad, how to be a father, he doesn't, well, he knows it's bad. Doesn't mean, you know, necessarily mean they're doing it right or wrong. He just knows it is his best. So I accept that.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a really good way to to to put it and to sum it up. ⁓ is you there's a saying you you when you know better, you do better. ⁓ and think with us as young children, I think you're right that he did ⁓ I it's a combination of he did the best that he could with with the knowledge that he had and he and also with what he saw.
Schree: Yeah. He did that. Yeah. again. Yes. Yep.
Unbreakable Her: You know, like the examples that he had. So, ⁓ you know, taking on deciding to be dad to two kids that like you he didn't have to. ⁓ you know, there listen, as many men will walk away from children that are definitely theirs, like, you know, there's something to be said for that, right? So,
Schree: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ I called him I wanna say like maybe a month and a half ago because I hadn't heard from Dad at all. And I was like, I called him, I was like, ⁓ cause I called him and he like if I felt like he sent me the voicemail and I said, I text him, I said, Are you ignoring my calls on purpose? And he was like, No, no, I was busy or whatever. And so I talked to him, I said, I said, You alive? You kicking, you good? 'Cause I ain't hear nothing from you, sir. I hear nothing from you 'cause that we're that we're not doing this.
Schree: Mm-hmm. That's my line. Girl, I say the same thing. Are you alive today? Hello? I do say that. That's so funny. You said that.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah, because he ⁓ like we gotta notice. You know what I'm saying? Like it's like dad, stay in touch with us.
Schree: So like I said, yeah, because I called him yesterday. Like I said, I called him yesterday or the day before. He didn't answer. So I called his wife. She pick up. I said, where's dad? he right there. Why you didn't answer the phone? Now you want to talk in the background. ⁓ my ringer is still off. OK, Papa.
Unbreakable Her: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that's the thing, it's like I definitely give him Grace now 'cause he just old you know, he got he got he got all his white hair. His hair is all white. Like he r he really an old man now. ⁓ Yes, we do. We we do.
Schree: Yeah! Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, we gotta go down there together and bum rush him. Because I straight went down there and bum rushed him twice. That was my first time. just recently, after all the years he was down there, I went to see him not last year, but the year before that Christmas was the first time I ever been down there. I just jumped on the plane and went down there because I just needed to see him. I haven't seen him in so long. And like,
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, because he doesn't even really take trips up here that much. I the last time we were all together was that they whatever it was that Father's Day when we went to the ⁓ the buffet. Dad, love, listen. I got no, I got to say this. Let me tell you that Gregory Robinson Sr. love himself a Chinese buffet. Okay. The man
Schree: ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Like to eat. Yes. I don't know what's that about, but I'm sick of it. And how about when I went down there, where did we go? To a fricken buffet.
Unbreakable Her: Chinese buffet.
Schree: What is the price? Okay, is you cheap?
Unbreakable Her: Listen, he's gonna find himself a buffet because yeah, we go on over. Cause I had told him this was like a Father's Day where I was spending time with him and with my bio dad. And I said, I'll do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So I checked their schedules and for I I was gonna see him in the afternoon, or maybe it was the Saturday or whatever it was. And I said, Where you wanna go to eat? Like I, you know, I'm taking you. This happy Father's Day. I'm a I'm a grown-up, I have a job, I can take you to dinner, right? And he's like,
Schree: Yeah. Yeah. Mmm. Yeah.
Unbreakable Her: ⁓ now I'm thinking he's gonna say like a steakhouse, you know. This man said, I mean, I'm going over to the buffet. I said, Okay, dad. I said, Okay, dad. That's that's cool. If if you happy at the buffet, okay. We'll just go to the buffet. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we definitely gotta go gotta go down. We gotta plan it. And ⁓
Schree: We gotta go there and just bum rush them.
Unbreakable Her: What I wanna highlight is that dad didn't come in with a lot of the tools necessary to be like an ideal father, but he chose to be a father to children that were not biologically his because he loved us.
Schree: Mm-hmm.
Unbreakable Her: he's always gonna get credit that from me.
Schree: Yeah, yeah, of course.
Unbreakable Her: You know, for the times that he was there and I needed, you know, what yeah, like I'm grateful when when it w he's he certainly was at all my stuff. Like, you know, graduations, like all my my my big important stuff, he was there. and so, you know, I'm thankful for that because it mattered. You know, like it it did matter. So
Schree: Whatever. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Unbreakable Her: So yeah, and he's got, you know, he I feel like every time we're around him and he's he he tells ⁓ Like you said, he tells the same he does tell the same stories over and over. But I feel like every time we're around him, he starts to tell a little bit more or an another piece of the story. And he has had a wild life. And the fact that he's overcome
Schree: Yeah. No. Yeah, yeah, that's why he gets the yeah, he gets the call for a lot of things.
Unbreakable Her: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Just dealing with the stuff he's dealt he he dealt with coming from the place he comes from. ⁓ to get to the point where like, you know, he he decides that, you know, this is I'm not gonna live like this anymore. And he literally just quits drugs. Like, you know, like I this I I'm not gonna do this anymore and I'm gonna straighten up my life and just decides to do it. ⁓
Schree: Yeah, and he did it and he mastered it, like, because he was very, very successful after that.
Unbreakable Her: That's it. It it's been that yep. Yep. Greg talks all little Greg as you as we call him talks a lot of a lot of the times about how he can be around his siblings and stuff and they Lord knows the Robinson's gonna drink and stuff, but like it it don't he He's good. Like he he made the decision and I mean it's just it's so impressive when it's like, yeah, I'm not I can't do that anymore.
Schree: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, doesn't bother him, it doesn't affect him at all.
Unbreakable Her: Like that's not how I wanna treat my body and it's not how I wanna live anymore. So yeah, he get he absolutely gets a lot of credit for for being able to do that. It takes a sh a strong person for sure. ⁓ a lot of determination. ⁓ and I yeah, I'm grateful for him because from the time I was like I didn't have a dad until I was six years old. You know what I mean? He's my dad. Yeah. And that's it. That's it. Like this is
Schree: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep, that's right. And you're my sister, and now my brother. That's right.
Unbreakable Her: This is the f this is a family, like people say a lot of times, like you don't get to choose your family. In our case, like we kind of did, you know, because you know, even after Dad made the choice, we could have very well like, no, like ⁓ right, you over there, whatever. But no, like we really are. We really are a family. Like I talking to Greg the other day and I was like, I said, Yeah, Wezzy always show for me. Like I I s ⁓ it something that we were talking about. And I was like, I was like, Yeah.
Schree: Yeah. Yeah! Yeah. Yeah. gonna...
Unbreakable Her: That's that's really really my family for real.
Schree: That's right. You, I don't know if you noticed or not, you, Amanda, Junie, are my heart. It's always been that way. I'm about to cry.
Unbreakable Her: as we close episode, maybe that's the gift ⁓ that dad gave us ⁓ is the gift of each other.
Schree: Yes, yes, and I'm very happy about that.
Unbreakable Her: Yeah. Yeah. Really thankful. Sweet. So that is it for this episode of the Unbreakable Her Podcast. Thank you everybody for joining us. we'll see you on the next in the meantime. Stay unbreakable.
