Grumpy Girl

It truly is amazing how different siblings can be from one another. My older daughter and my son are like night and day (though my son has picked up some of my daughter’s more disagreeable habits, as younger siblings are inclined to do). My son is fairly easy going and accommodating. My daughter is incredibly independent, and at times her self-determination can be a bit exasperating.

I value my daughter’s strength of character, but it can sometimes lead her down a path of anger and pessimism, which I often find difficult to confront effectively. I know that I don’t respond well to anger directed at me when my emotions are already in turmoil, so I strive to keep my cool when my daughter is overheating, which is definitely easier said than done. I keep the old adage, “kill them with kindness”, firmly locked in my thoughts when faced with my daughter’s dissention, hoping beyond hope that if I can keep my wits about me I will be able to better help her get her wits about herself. But sometimes the whining can just be too much...

I have to take a moment to admit that I am no stranger to anger, and my outlook on life is not always sanguine. So when I see my daughter erupt in a fit of doom and gloom, I cringe just knowing I have greatly contributed to her actions and responses, both on a genetic level and as someone she models herself on. One would think I would be better equipped to cope with her outbursts having my own self as a precedent, but I’m not (or at least I don’t feel like I am). Instead it just breaks my heart to see her NOT enjoying her childhood to the fullest.