Fed up

My daughter and I will be having a moderated problem solving session soon. Within one minute of rising this morning, I heard myself saying to the children, "What? Are you deaf?" It was not a sparkly daddy moment, and I later apologized. But my right-out-of-the-gate breakdown this morning is merely a symptom of a wider issue.

My wife points out that I am engaged in a recent cycle of power struggles with our older daughter, and She-Who-Is-On-My-Side offered advice on other potential approaches. While this may be a correct analysis of the situation, this was not well received by yours truly. You see, I feel like I've tried those different approaches, over and over, and I am officially FED UP.

Genevieve recently spent over an hour in her room for repeated tantrums and non-cooperation, and it was a pleasant hour for me and boring for her. It got her attention. That reinforced my view of a new approach with clear-cut and rapidly increasing consequences. Though I am uncertain as to it's long-term success, I do know that the other suggestions have not worked. My wife thinks that if I improved my application of different approaches, then that could bring about change, but I now believe that my daughter behaves differently with me even if I relate to her exactly as does her mother. Where I'm at now is that I've tried the change daddy approach with no success, and I am now trying the change daughter approach.

This is an evolving thing, and She-Who-Is-On-My-Side and I have more talking to do. What is certain is that we do have a parental difference of opinion and a strained father-daughter relationship.