Michaela Bourland

Michaela Bourland is Peter Bourland's middle-school-aged daughter and prefers to be called Mike. She memorizes sports scores, plays basketball, and eagerly helps her family build a treehouse. Beneath those interests, however, she hides outgrown ballet shoes and conceals parts of herself she believes her father would not value. Michaela once overheard Peter say he had wanted a son, so she began trying to become the child she thought he expected. After spraining her wrist during basketball, she finally faces that painful misunderstanding. With Connie's help, father and daughter talk honestly. Michaela chooses her own clothes and hairstyle, while Peter assures her that she is loved for who she is rather than for the activities she performs.