May Stay With Me, Daddy | Rissa

My four-year-old had just referred to herself in the third person as her own preferred company. For two years, this child has been velcro. Bathroom trips? Supervised. Sleeping? Co-dependent. Grocery shopping? A contact sport of holding hands.

She squirmed down, patted my knee with the condescension only a preschooler can muster, and walked back to her castle. Without looking up, she said it: rissa may stay with me, daddy

There’s a phrase I never expected to lodge itself so firmly in my chest. My four-year-old had just referred to herself in

Now, suddenly, she looks me dead in the eye and says she’d rather hang out with... herself. rissa may stay with me, daddy