Bindi Irwin has reflected upon her most cherished childhood memories with her late father, as well as how he influenced her own approach to parenting with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Grace in a candid new interview.
The mother of one was only eight years old when her father Steve unexpectedly passed away in September 2006.
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But despite the 17 years that have passed since his death, Bindi says that memories of her dad, The Crocodile Hunter, are still at the front and centre of her mind.
“I remember one day Dad came into the Australia Zoo offices with the biggest cake and he started a food fight with me,” she shared with 9Honey Parenting.
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“Mum eventually managed to get us to take the food fight outside because the cake was flying everywhere.”
“It was hilarious and I love that my dad spent so much of his time coming up with fantastic, surprising moments of pure fun.”
This happy memory is one of many that Bindi holds close to her heart.
“I was surrounded by wildlife, next to the creek, and letting my imagination run wild,” Bindi says of the treehouse her father built for her.
“It was there that I felt most connected to nature and my dad. My family would play in the treehouse with me as well which made it even more fun.”
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“I would reflect my love for wildlife and wild places through play, pretending to be different animals, creating my imaginary worlds, setting up an animal hospital for my plushies,” the 25-year-old added.
“My play revolved around connection with nature, I wanted to connect with every species and learn more about them.”
Encouraging her darling daughter to use her imagination through play is something Bindi says she learned from her father’s own parenting style.
“I think that combining play and a love for the natural world makes it easy to instill appreciation for animals. From the time I was very young, I loved an animal even more when I learned about it,” the wildlife warrior said.
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“For example, discovering an animal’s movements, behaviours, and environment, helped me to develop a greater understanding and curiosity about the animal.”
“Our daughter absolutely loves imagination play and our family is always outdoors which means playtime for us is usually nature-based.”
And from photos shared by the Irwin family on their social media of the toddler interacting with animals and enjoying the great outdoors on family camping trips and more, it’s clear Grace is a wildlife warrior in the making!
