Dear Guardian Angel Two,
I wanted to wait before saying anything to make sure I wasn’t anxious about anything else, and confusing my emotions, but I wanted to let you know that I left your place with some hurt feelings. (I’m trying to express them now so I don’t bottle them up, and that’s very difficult for me!)
I’m extremely sensitive when it comes to parenting, and I realize my style is very different from yours and from most older generations. But I’ve learned with David, having him be so emotional and sensitive, too, that I really have to parent with my gut. And that means giving in to my kids at times.
I know you meant well when you said that I have to take control or else they will turn into monsters as teenagers, but that made me incredibly anxious … as if it is up to me to make them nice people or monsters when they grow up, and my parenting makes them who they are, which I don’t believe. I’ve seen some great parents raise obnoxious kids, and some wonderful kids emerge from extremely dysfunctional homes.

And I guess I was also a little angry with how you treated Katherine, calling her Miss Piggy and stuff when she cried. I should have said something while we were there, but, like I said, I’ve been feeling so anxious lately that I didn’t know if it was our exchange or something else that was bothering me. I explained to Katherine that you still love her, but she is quite angry with you. It’s going to be difficult to get her to tag along again.
I know from your perspective it seems as if I’m ruled by my kids. Maybe that’s true to some degree. But I’m just trying to do this parenting thing as best as I can, and my gut tells me that the hard-ass way isn’t right for them. I hope that you respect my opinions and feelings on that.
You are still my guardian angel, and I am so grateful for what you have given me. But in order for our friendship to grow, I needed to be honest with you.
Much love and peace, Therese