Family Matters

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My Daughter’s Childhood Makes Me Feel Resentful

As I watch her grow up, my inner child can’t help but ask “why didn’t I have that too?”

Laura Fox
Family Matters
Published in
5 min readJan 13, 2024

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Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

“Go away! Don’t touch me!”

My daughter, is sulking behind the sofa. Although her words are trying to push me away, I know that what she needs most is to know I am still here.

“How was school today?”

She emerges from behind the sofa, rubbing the tears from her eyes. She climbs onto my lap without any grace, elbowing me in the boob as she makes herself comfortable. The poor kid gets her coordination skills from me.

“A girl pushed my trike over!”

“Oh no!”

“Yeah and my friends were talking and they were not very nice!”

We cuddle for a while as I stroke her soft, blonde hair. I can’t help but notice that she looks like me when I was her age. And we share a lot of the same personality traits. For a moment I am four again, and these words echo in my mind:

“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”

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Family Matters
Family Matters

Published in Family Matters

A publication for parents and families of all types to share their experiences.

Laura Fox
Laura Fox

Written by Laura Fox

I write to heal myself and others. Instagram: @laure_e_fox_

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