Slightly Off-Center

I’m not sure when McKenna and I started taking selfies together. I used to hate selfies. But over the years, these little selfie moments would become part of the “glue” that helped cement our Father/Daughter relationship.

McKenna and I might try to take a selfie when we’re out somewhere fun or exciting. Or we might snap a pic on special occasions like a birthday. But my uber-favorite selfie opportunities happen whenever we’re planning to go out someplace, and we randomly end up wearing the same color! Or our outfits match! I love it when that happens!!!

But truth be told, those opportunities are not as random as they seem. Because I’m the dorkiest dad in the world, I’ll sometimes wait to see what McKenna has on for the day, and then choose my outfit accordingly. 😁 Attempting to match your daughter’s style is indeed super dorky, but I am “That Dad” and I enjoy it. Oftentimes, my wife Lily will see that both McKenna and I are wearing matching outfits for our Brunch Date. And then she will let out a big “sigh”, go back into the bedroom, and come out “matching” by the time we leave! 😀

McKenna isn’t Nash. And she certainly isn’t Evan. McKenna has her own unique interests and personality. And because of those differences, I find that I often relate to McKenna in a much different way than I do with my other two boys.

I tend to “talk a lot” with my boys… We talk about life, struggles, and stuff we wanna do in the future. But not so much with McKenna. McKenna is an independent, strong-willed rock star. That girl is more than capable of handling most things on her own. And she rarely seeks my advice.

But as a father, her “independence” doesn’t absolve me of my responsibility to make connections and build bridges with my daughter. Just because we don’t sit down to “talk”, doesn’t mean that we can’t have a close relationship. I’m always paying attention to McKenna. I’m paying attention to her likes, dislikes, and things that light her up. All of these individual pieces can work as “connections” between us. Over the years, I’ve loved and watched over this girl. And in that same time span, I’ve figured out the best ways I can love her, in the ways she wants to be loved…

Here’s a few examples of the found connections I have with my daughter:

Selfies

Matching outfits

PASTA! And our never ending search to find the Best Spaghetti Bolognese in Los Angeles

Watching “Singles Inferno” together, both Season 1 and 2

Watching our favorite Anime (Haikyu, Bofuri, etc)

Sugar! 

Bearology

Anything that tastes like Strawberry! - yogurt drinks, ice cream, desserts

Being McKenna’s personal shopper - I love helping her pick out outfits, bringing her different sizes in the dressing room, providing my expertise, and my credit card. ;)

Play time with our cat Tess

Cute Cat Videos

CHIPOTLE!!! McKenna can eat at Chipotle every day if you let her!

Our shared love for musical theatre and seeing Broadway Shows!

Trying to learn K-Pop Dance Routines with her while failing badly

Tokidoki

Chelsea Cutler concerts

Anything “kawaii”

Disneyland and other theme parks

Playing the “I wonder what mood McKenna is in?” is always a fun game!

This list can easily grow double the size, but this list is good enough to represent McKenna’s “love language”. The items listed, is how she knows that we love her. And how we as parents, can best meet her needs.

McKenna and I were having a brief conversation about “hairstyles” this morning as we drove to school. I told her that I had the crazy notion to part my hair on the opposite side this morning! I then asked her if she ever considered changing the part in her hair. She said, “No, my hairline is where it is… Slightly Off-Center”. 

I just had to laugh!!! “That’s a perfect metaphor for life McKenna! YOU AND I are both Wongs! And together, we will forever be… Slightly Off-Center. 🙂