The Unlucky Parent

How many children have a preferred parent in the house? For mine, it’s mommy (comes as no surprise to most), but how does that leave the other parent feeling?

I was raised in a very strict manner, taught to not show any vulnerable emotions, be polite and to never talk back to my parents. I thought I was doing my best to ensure my little one had a life that I didn’t, being more lenient with her (compared to what I got), taking her to experiences that I never got (I didn’t exactly grow up well off), spending time with her during my time off of work, making sure that she’s not doing anything outrageous to hurt herself, however, she often doesn’t want to choose me for moments she needs a parent.

My wife put it into perspective that my temper possibly scares our daughter, especially when she’s being difficult and I’m trying to teach her right from wrong. I’m not sure if other fathers experience this, but it hurts when I hear “no daddy”, “I don’t want daddy here”.. My wife kindly asked me to try to stay quiet for a week to try at least.. to not say anything during those moments where my temper can rise, to those trigger points.. that she may end up wanting me after seeing that I can be more patient with her. This has been a hard and hurtful first day, it’s hard to pretend that hearing these things don’t hurt me.