Impatient

"Patience is a virtue" ... that I do not have - like at all.

I'm having a hard time with K lately. She is being so mean, so vindictive and so angry. I understand and I empathize that part of her anger comes from being 5 and part of it comes from Glassman leaving - she is a daddy's girl afterall. But there is no excuse for the way she has been behaving lately. I try to have patience.

I'm also trying to connect with her where I can but I am finding that downright impossible too. How can I connect with someone who is so different than myself. She needs constant reassurance that she is loved, and when she is angry she declares that I don't love her anymore. She needs constant attention, and constant praise - it's exhausting.

R never went through a stage like this, not even when Cableman left. I am aware that all kids are different and go through different things, but I was hoping R would prepare us a bit for the other kids - and he hasn't - at all. Instead I find myself in the dark about both how to parent her and how to connect with her.

She is my daughter, I should be able to find some, not common ground as we are too different, but any ground where we can stand together and relate. Maybe then she wouldn't need so much verbal reassurance of my love for her. Maybe she feels the disconnect between us as well.

I have no idea how to fix this, and no idea how to get more patience with her.