Esko Eerikäinen talks openly about his love life to his daughter

Radio host Esko Eerikäinen sits comfortably in an armchair. An early morning wake-up call is behind us, because the man has been doing an exceptional morning shift on the radio.

On the other side of the table sits Esko’s daughter, Victoria Eerikainen13.

– Vikke was born on Father’s Day 2009, since then the meaning of Father’s Day has been completely different, Esko says.

When Esko became a father, he lived a quite different life. Finns were used to seeing him together with his current ex-wife, Martina Aitolehti. The couple’s preparation for family life with children was even followed in their own TV show Martina ja Esko: Vauvakuumetta.

– Yes, at first I was nervous about how to manage it. It’s a really big responsibility for another person. The initial fear has turned into certainty.

– Martina’s and my divorce changed the situation. If we were still together, would I be such a committed and present parent. Would I have taken the child’s presence for granted? Esko ponders.

The ex-couple has shared custody and Victoria lives alternately with her parents.

How does the daughter describe her father?

– Father is really funny, loud and has a really good sense of humor. He expresses his opinion strongly. Dad is not that strict, although he sometimes tells me to clean my room.

The parents have a common vision of how to raise their daughter. Esko admits that he is a little more relaxed when it comes to cooking and bedtime.

– I’m not that kind of cook, but I’ve gotten a little better at it.

– You know how to make a macaroni box, Victoria throws.

– Yes, and banana cakes, Esko laughs.

Parental concern

As Victoria approaches her teenage years, Esko has noticed that the most important thing in a father-daughter relationship is mutual respect. If something is promised, it is also kept.

Sometimes there have been moments when the father has been quite worried about his daughter.

– We have exact homecoming times, especially during school weeks. One evening I couldn’t get hold of Vikki on the phone because her battery had run out.

Horror images immediately took over Esko’s mind.

– I tried to breathe calmly, but at the same time, all the horror images were running through my head. After a while, Vikke comes through the door and I wonder where this has been, Esko recalls.

Vikke listens to her father and smiles. He had been able to guess the reaction waiting at home. Esko says he is happy that Victoria has learned what is allowed and what is not.

– I have advised that if something feels even a little like it is not a good thing, then it is not worth doing.

There is an open dialogue between father and daughter. Everyday sorrows and joys can be talked about around the kitchen table. Esko dares to talk about his love affairs to his daughter as well.

– Vikke sometimes wonders why dad doesn’t have a girlfriend, so do I, Esko laughs.

– Then we discuss the reasons or what kind of girlfriend would suit me. The same also applies to Vike, when the boys become interested. I love that we can have these conversations. When I was young myself, it didn’t even occur to me to talk to my own mother about falling in love.

So what kind of girlfriend would suit dad?

– Kind, you have to be respectful and you have to understand a sense of humor, the daughter describes.

Victoria has been used to her parents’ publicity since childhood. Sometimes at school, other students might ask questions about why parents appear on TV, for example.

– Sometimes I’ve noticed that a guy has been a friend because he could get on dad’s social media.

– Fortunately, Vikke has noticed that there are good friends and then there are guys who are not real friends, Esko says.

The homesickness surprised me

Last year, Esko participated in the Olen celebrity…Let me out program, where a group of Finnish celebrities competed against each other in the South American jungle. Although Esko has had to get used to the fact that Victoria is not with him every week, homesickness hit him in the face in the jungle.

– It was hell. I didn’t realize that I missed it so strongly. It was overwhelming at times. It was a little easier when I realized that this is just a moment in life.

The two plan to go on a joint trip to Colombia at the end of the year. Victoria has been able to get to know her father’s country of birth at a very young age, so there are not many memories.

– We love to listen to reggaeton music. Now it’s nice to visit my relatives so that Vikke can taste the local food and see where I used to live, says Esko.