(i) Before going to his office: He entered Kezia’s room and gave her a casual goodbye kiss.

(ii) After coming back from his office: He loudly asked for his tea, newspaper and slippers. Kezia was sometimes sent to take off his boots.

(iii) On Sundays: He lay on the sofa with a handkerchief over his face, put his feet on one of the best cushions and slept soundly.

Kezia wanted to give her father a handmade pin-cushion for his birthday. Following her grandmother’s suggestion, she stitched three sides of a piece of yellow silk. While looking for something with which to fill it, she found several sheets of paper on her mother’s bedside table. She tore the papers into small pieces, filled the pin-cushion with them and sewed its fourth side.

Unfortunately, the papers contained her father’s important speech for the Port Authority. When he discovered what she had done, he became furious and struck her palms with a ruler. Kezia had acted innocently and lovingly, but because she used the papers without permission, her attempt to please him ended in disaster.

Mr Macdonald was a playful, cheerful and openly affectionate father. Kezia saw him playing with his five children. He carried the baby on his shoulders, ran around the flowerbeds with his daughters holding his coat pockets and laughed when his sons sprayed him with a hose.

Kezia’s father, in contrast, was strict, reserved and intimidating. He rarely played or spoke affectionately with her, so she remained frightened in his presence. Mr Macdonald expressed his love openly, whereas Kezia’s father cared for his daughter without usually showing his affection in a warm or playful manner.

Kezia’s attitude changes when her mother and grandmother are in the hospital. After Kezia wakes from a nightmare, her father carries her to his bedroom, tucks her into bed and allows her to sleep beside him. He tells her to warm her cold feet against his legs and makes her feel safe.

When he falls asleep before her, Kezia realizes that he works hard every day and returns home exhausted. She understands that this may be why he cannot behave like the playful Mr Macdonald. She also regrets tearing up his important speech. For the first time, she recognizes his tiredness, loneliness and affection, and says that he has a “big heart.”

Careful interpretation: Kezia’s new understanding does not make her father’s physical punishment right. It reveals a complex person who is capable of tenderness but has also behaved harmfully.

Yes, families similar to Kezia’s family can be found in India and elsewhere. Some parents are strict and do not openly express their affection, even though they care deeply about their children. Children may consequently misunderstand their strictness as a lack of love.

Grandparents often act as a bridge between parents and children. Like Kezia’s grandmother, they may comfort children and encourage them to understand their parents better. However, affection and discipline should always be expressed without frightening or physically hurting a child.

Kezia’s father had a reason to be upset because she had destroyed an important speech. However, he was not right to beat her. Kezia was a young child who did not understand the importance of the papers and had torn them up while innocently preparing his birthday present. He should have listened to her explanation and taught her not to touch other people’s belongings.

He was strict, short-tempered, hardworking and undemonstrative. At the same time, the nightmare incident shows that he could also be loving, responsible, affectionate and caring. His tenderness does not justify the punishment; instead, it shows that his personality contained both caring and harmful qualities.