Feelings of Abandonment

It has been more than a month since my last post. And I lay this fault, without reservation, at the feet of my missus. It has been a very difficult time indeed, during her absence. Looking after one's daughter when one's wife is overseas has proven a time-consuming, nerve-wracking, and patience-draining experience indeed.

One might point out that I should have expected such an arrangement, given the fact that my wife heads overseas for work every so often. True enough. Yet, no one could have warned me that my daughter would choose this same period to display an independent streak, coupled with a mild defiance of the carefully laid plans that her parents had made for her. Needless to say, her performance at school has gone down, and her behaviour at home has been less than exemplary.

Normally, I would simply give her a swift whack to her backside, followed by a sound scolding, to make her mend her ways. However, with the absence of her mother, who usually gives comfort and an explanation of how she had gone wrong, meant that those duties fall to me as well. Without going into details, I can honestly say that this does not work as well.

Well. We'll see what happens when her mother returns at the end of next month.

Sigh.