Dad Says He’s Tired of Feeling Like the ‘Bad Cop,’ but His Wife Refuses to Step in to Discipline 'Daddy's Girl'
A dad who is dealing with a clingy 5-year-old was told to handle it on his own after asking his wife for backup
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Rearview shot of a family going for a walk together in the parkOne dad dealing with a clingy 5-year-old daughter who is jealous of her newborn sister says he isn’t getting the desired parental assistance from his wife.
In a recent post on Reddit's “Am I the A------?” forum, a 29-year-old dad opened up to fellow Redditors about a situation involving his 5-year-old daughter Alice and her newborn sister.
The dad explained that he has three kids: Alice, who is the oldest, a 3-year-old son, and a 2-week-old daughter. He described Alice as a “Daddy’s girl,” one who was once jealous of her brother back when he was born. Thankfully, that blew over, but now the issue has made a comeback in light of the arrival of their new family member.
“Ever since the baby came home, Alice has been attached to my side — literally and figuratively,” the dad explained. “Monsters always appear in her closet whenever I'm taking care of the baby, monsters that only I can ‘get rid of’ — apparently, I'm magic that way.”
But Alice's newfound neediness doesn’t stop there. The dad goes on to say that she wants to be carried everywhere and that she won't go to sleep unless he’s rocking her in a chair. Not only that, but she’s now getting a little demanding, too. She even throws what he refers to as “carry me” tantrums.
“When she woke up one morning and saw me giving the baby a bottle, she got upset and tried to shove her way onto my lap,” said the dad.
In need of some assistance, he asked his wife for some support, telling her that he doesn’t want to be the “bad cop” every time Alice is being needy. He requested backup, asking that she simply step in with verbal warnings or maybe help with removing Alice when she gets so clingy.
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Father taking care of daughter.“She got mad at me for this,” he shared. “She said that she's got a lot on her plate already, doesn't think she needs to get involved in this.”
The mom also told him not to “make a fuss” and that Alice was going through a phase that will eventually go away.
“Apparently she thinks I should just handle this myself for now,” he added. “AITA for asking my wife to backup my parenting?”
Many Reddit users chimed in — and quite a few sided with the mom.
“While I get what you're saying, I don't actually think your wife giving her a verbal warning is going to help this situation,” commented the Redditor. “She's a daddy's girl, daddy is going to have to be clear on his own boundaries. What are the consequences when she tries to push her way onto your lap or other unwanted behavior? She's definitely old enough for some kind of discipline method."
“Your wife has a two week old newborn 😅 this isn’t the same as you having a newborn,” said another. “Newborns are hyper dependent on their mothers. Your wife is carrying 90% of the weight with the newborn. I agree with her. She has way too much on her plate. Handle this yourself.”
“Your wife has just had a baby, and like you said she’s a daddy’s girl so she’s gonna listen to you,” commented another. “Yes you have to be the bad guy sometimes, it can’t always be your wife. Like you said it blew over last time, and it’s also expected as it’s another baby and a big change, she’s only a baby herself, it’s hard for her to understand.”
Read the original article on People
