I am really losing confidence in myself as a mother. I have been quite "baby-led", used slings, co-slept at times etc, but am often unable to manage my emotions around dd1 who is 3.2.
As a younger child she was always the one to run further, climb higher, try anything etc, but recently she has become less and less confident. She has not settled well into going to pre-school (was happy at CM) and cries before going and drop off is awful despite the lovely staff's best efforts. We've done a really long settling period. She was moved up a group in swimming but has had to go back down to parent and child because she cried or wouldn't join in.
I work 3 days a week and feel very torn now as she is so unhappy at PS. I find myself getting cross when she cries at separation and irritated by her clinginess . I am pretty sure I am not helping by being cross and lacking patience, and by being so conflicted I don't think I reassure her with consistency as I should. I speak to her about how she's making me feel, or tell her to stop or that she's silly etc. All things I utterly disagree with as I don't want to make her responsible for my emotions, or for her to bottle up how she feels.
DD2 is 20 months younger, and has a lot of health problems which mean I am unpredictably away with her in hospital. DD1 misses both of us when this happens and I think goes some way to explaining her behaviour. I've tried talking about this and reassuring that I'll always come back but DD1 is too young to discuss it all properly.
How can I be a more supportive, reassuring parent? Any experiences/tips?
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Feel rubbish - dealing with 3yo anxieties?
3 replies
CementMixer · 25/01/2013 16:16
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