Bindi Irwin's family tradition that helped them cope with grief

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

At age 17, Bindi Irwin is both young and wise beyond her years. The only daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin is opening up about how her family has moved through their grief, as well as dating and finding her own style.

Speaking with The Sunday Telegraph Bindi confirmed she's in a relationship with 18-year-old professional wakeboarder Chandler Powell, sharing, “I was blessed to meet Chandler and his family back in November 2013. We remained in touch and stayed friends. Since then, our friendship has developed into something really special."

"Khaki is a part of who I am, but it’s fun to get dressed up every now and then," she went on to say of experimenting to find her own style. "Being a bit of a girl is always exciting. You can’t jump on a croc or climb a tree if you’re not in khaki, but I do like different clothes and playing around with it a bit."

Bindi Irwin spoke candidly about coping with her father's loss, saying, "After losing Dad, there was the idea that none of us have forever. It really affects you. It makes you want to live each day as if it’s your last."

Still, she says losing her dad "was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with."

Reflecting on taking part in her father’s public memorial service she explained, "I remember going to Mum and saying, ‘I really want to say something at Dad’s [service].’ I knew exactly what I wanted to say, so she helped me type it up."

At age 8, Bindi read her speech in front of 5,500 people and an estimated TV audience of 300 million.

"I was only so little and I was so nervous," she recalled. "I had to have my finger [on the paper] to follow the words because I wanted to read it well...It was really important in my heart."

A look back at the moment:

Naturally, Bindi and her mother and brother had to continue to deal with the loss long after the service ended.

"We’re a little family, but we love each other more than anything else on earth," she explained during her recent interview. "After Dad passed away it was really, really tough. Some days you’d have really hard days and it was kind of tough to get out of bed in the morning."

"So we started this tradition where we talked about our favorite part of the day. It might be a lovely warm shower, or having dinner together, but it was to focus on something good. It started as a game but it turned into a life lesson. Now it’s easier to find the happiness in every day."

Bindi, her mother Terri, and her brother Bob remain tight to this day.

“As I’m getting older, I’m really learning unconditional love and loyalty are extremely important," she added. "I know I can count on my mum and brother to be there for me through good and bad times. It’s so easy to be there when it’s all sunshine, but it really takes strength and courage to be there for each other during the dark times."

Does your family have a tradition as well? Share with us in a comment below.

Photos: REX USA/Craig Greenhill/Newspix/Rex, PR Photos