Our lovely tot....

Often times, parents are under such immense social pressure to attain the infamous 5Cs (credit card, career, car, condo and club membership) that we often overlook the simple but important aspects of a fulfilling life. Perhaps 1C is all it really takes to be happy; contentment. As parents who want the best for their children, I can’t help but wonder if the urge to succeed financially is in fact a selfish act of materialism – we do it in the name of our children but at the end of the day does our children really need a bigger house and bigger car, or is it merely to satisfy our own personal dreams? Would our children rather live in a smaller home and travel in a smaller car in exchange for more time with their parents? I think at the bottom of our hearts we all clearly know the answer.

Looking back, it has been almost 3.5 years since Chloe came into our life. Not a single day passes without me feeling utmost pride and joy in my heart. I miss Chloe when she goes to sleep at night, and I can’t wait to see her when I wake up in the morning……when she’s happy I’m overjoyed, and when she cries it saddens me. Sometimes the emotions feel overwhelmingly like a roller coaster ride, but you always end up still enjoying the ride. Clare thinks I make a lousy parent in terms of instilling discipline in Chloe – and I have to agree wholeheartedly. Clare once asked me why I never scold or shout at Chloe, and at the spur of the moment I told her “Because I love Chloe more than I love myself, and I never scold myself” – it left Clare speechless (with a smile). Reflecting on what I had said, it now sounds rather corny (haha…) but since it was a spontaneous response I can only assume it came from the heart.

Chloe is growing up to be a lovely child…..she now speaks her mind rather openly and says the funniest (and saddest) things…. Clare once asked Chloe why she looked so happy…..and guess what Chloe said…. “Because I am not sad”!! When her Poh Poh recently bid farewell to her at the airport, Chloe was so depressed that she cried and said “Give me back my Poh Poh right now” – it was heart wrenching. Chloe still loves to sing (at the top of her lungs….haha) and even began inventing her own “songs", one of which goes something like this "Teddy bear teddy bear turn around, teddy bear teddy bear go to sleep....". Chloe also enjoys having Clare read bedtime stories to her before she goes to sleep at night….which has become somewhat of a routine. In fact, Clare recently gave me a very “challenging” task of selecting children books from the library for Chloe (my first time venturing into the children section), and I would like to proudly proclaim that I exceeded her (low) expectations…..haha…. I am cognizant of the fact that Chloe loves books that features animals, but her clear favourite (amongst the books I borrowed for her) would have to be the one from the Dora the Explorer series entitled 'Swim, Boots, Swim'.

Truth be told, it may seem that Chloe is blessed to have us love her so much as parents, but on the contrary it is in fact Clare and I who are deeply blessed to have Chloe.

Lastly, to end this posting on a unique note, I have not included any photos of Chloe but instead would like to dedicate a lovely song to her – the lyrics of which were probably written in a romantic context but majority of which would aptly convey the love a daddy has for his daughter. Chloe – this one’s for you.