Page 86 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Well, I don’t want her to be.”

“Easier said than done. This is a very complicated situation, Noah. And when it comes to teenage girls, their feelings should be dealt with delicately, especially when the girl is your own daughter.”

I nodded.

“On the other hand,” he said, “we should consider the possibility that Aria may be experiencing the Electra complex.”

“You’ve lost me again, Doc.” This was uncharted territory for me.

“The Electra complex is when a child feels the impulse to psychosexually compete with her mother for her father’s attention and affection. I find it unique in this instance because normally these feelings occur during the phallic stage of a young girl’s psychosexual development.”

“Phallic stage?”

“Ages three to six.”

“Ah.” I frowned, looking somewhat disturbed. “But she gets along well with Vanessa and her mother. I don’t understand how she would be competing with them.”

“This could be the early stages. The hostility against her biological mother or her stepmother may manifest and reveal itself later on.”

I tried to absorb everything Doctor Grey had explained.

“Is Vanessa aware of what’s going on between you and your daughter?” he asked.

I sighed. “No. I’d rather not discuss it with her. That’s why I came here to see you. To get this—situationunder control. Besides, nothing’s really happened between me and Aria.”

“Hmm, well, at this point I would suggest that it would be very healthy for you and your daughter to receive some long-term counseling together.”

“I don’t want to put her through the painful process of making her feel like she’s crazy and take her from therapist to therapist. I just got her back, I don’t want to lose her again.”

“That won’t be necessary, Noah. I can counsel you both, together or separately. Either way, I recommend that you sit down and discuss it with her. As agonizingly awkward as it may be, communication is always best. Should you choose to ignore her feelings, she may start to act out in more harmful and destructive ways, not only toward you, but toward herself. I would like to prevent that from happening.”

“I’ll talk to her, even though it won’t be easy.”

“Just tell her that you love her and that you want to have a healthy relationship with her. Make sure that you express how happy it would make you if she agreed to get some counseling with you.” He glanced at his watch and rose to his feet. “Unfortunately, our hour is up. I want to see you regularly. I believe that I can help you through this.”

“You helped me before, I’m confident that you can help me again.”

“Let’s schedule your next appointment.” He walked to his desk, pulled out his agenda, and opened it. “Are you free next Thursday?”

“Yes, but preferably in the evening.”

“That’s fine. How does seven o ’clock sound?”

“Perfect.”

Grey penciled me in and then smiled. “It was good seeing you again, Noah.”

“Good seeing you too, Doc.” I shook his hand.

“Please do not torture yourself with shame,” he added. “I honestly empathize and can fully understand the circumstances that happened in your life. I assure you it’s not uncommon.”

Uncommon or not, I wanted to be cured of this. “Well, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll see you Thursday.”

“You take care of yourself, and do speak with Aria about what I mentioned to you.”

“I will.” I smiled politely and said goodbye before leaving his office.

How the hell am I going to talk to Aria?I tried to re-enact the conversation in my head to prepare myself.

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