I’m in the middle of a divorce, stressed to the max, and sometimes I’m short with my 6 yo daughter (ex. She does something wonky and I sigh heavily and I’m like “ughhh why would you do that??” or get visibly upset when she spills something, etc.). I really try hard not to yell (and I’m successful 99.9% of the time), to take a step back, and say things with patience, but it’s so hard at times.

I’m also trying to counterbalance my borderline (if not completely) abusive stbx so I feel super bad when I’m not patient and kind with my daughter 100% of the time because I’m her safe space. I think part of what makes me feel bad is she’ll be like “I’m sorry mumma, I’m sorry” right after making a “mistake,” leading me to believe my stbx must have big reactions, and I think my reactions may have been a little worse in the past before I realized the extent of my stbx’s abusiveness.

Please tell me this won’t fuck her up, and it’s normal to not be patient all the time.