Penny and I really close. Whenever I’m around she sticks to me like glue, forcing me to play all sorts of games with her and do things with her. Amid all that though she has this longstanding stance of openly saying that she doesn’t love Daddy.
To understand the sound rationale behind that let me bring you back to a conversation I had recently with her.
Me: Penny why you don’t love Daddy?
Penny: Because you are a boy.
Me: Does that mean you don’t love Koko also?
Penny: No because Koko is a small boy. I only don’t love big boy.
Fighter: What if I grow up to be a big boy ? Will you don’t love me then?
Penny: Yes.
Fighter: Awww….. No I want you still love me.
Penny: Ok I still love you if you big boy.
Me: And Daddy.
Penny: No. Just Koko.
So every now and then we’ll have a conversation like this:
Me: PENNY LOVES DADDY!
Penny: NO!
Me: PENNY LOVES DADDY!
Penny: NO!
Me: PENNY LOVES DADDY!
Penny: NO!
Me: PENNY DOES NOT NOT LOVE DADDY!
Penny: NO!
Me: HAHA!! *leaves and shuts the door*
Anyway just yesterday we were at a furniture shop picking out fabric for Colony 5. Here’s how our conversation went.
Fighter: Ok Daddy if you and Penny want to come in here you need to give me your password. Here is the password. *whispers into my ear the words “Daddy has a Huawei Phone”*
Me: Ok!
Penny: I want to go in. What’s the password?
Me: Okok the password is “I love Daddy”.
Penny: I love Daddy.
Fighter: No that’s not the password.
Me: Ok Penny try “I REALLY REALLY LOVE DADDY”.
Penny: I REALLY REALLY LOVE DADDY!
Fighter: No that’s not the password.
Me: *whispers to Penny* “I really really do”.
Penny: I really really doesn’t.
Me: HEY!
10 minutes later.
Penny: Daddy can you spin me on this chair?
Me: Yes sure but for me to spin you must say “I love Daddy”.
Penny: Can I just say?
Me: Yes.
Penny: I love Daddy/
Me: OH YOU DO?!?!
Penny: No I don’t. I just say. I don’t love Daddy.
At the end of it I always tell Penny that it’s okay if she doesn’t love me. Love can’t be forced and isn’t an entitlement. That I will always love her whether or not she loves me.
There are times when she lovingly tells me she loves me though…. so I guess she’s just keeping me on my toes.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space