—Uwaaahh~!!!
—Uwaaahh~!!!
The cries of the two children filled the air, their voices mingling in a heart-wrenching symphony of distress.
"Dad hates us!" they sobbed together. "We're sorry, Daddy!"
Their outbursts pierced through the chaos in my mind, making me feel an acute sense of panic and helplessness.
I desperately tried to soothe them, my voice trembling as I stammered, "C-calm down, calm down, okay? I didn't mean it like that."
No matter how much I tried to comfort them, my words seemed ineffectual against the depth of their sorrow.
Their cries grew louder, their small bodies shaking with the force of their emotions.
The sight of them so distressed made me feel as though I was failing in some fundamental way, exacerbating my confusion about the situation.
A thought crossed my mind, a troubling realization from my past experiences.
Hadn't I always struggled with children?