Being a parent

This is my first post on iceberg & I'm feling strangely nervous! My daughter has been encouraging me to use the site for a few days now, so finally, here goes....
Being a parent has always felt like the most natural thing in the world to me, but because this situation is relatively new, I feel less sure of my footing & it can be frightening & lonely at times. I can't quite figure out how I can get it so right some days & then other days every word I speak seems to come out wrong - even to my own ears! This week I learned that my thought process & mood is too strongly linked to my daughters; so when she wobbles, I wobble. Reminds me of that corny Barry Manilow song (for all the oldies out there!) "I can't smile without you.....I feel glad when you're glad.........feel sad when you're sad" I know that this needs to change. Fortunately my wise & wonderful daughter was able to point this out to me (after a few difficult days earlier in the week) & to explain to me that this reaction only exacerbates & prolongs her distress. She helped me to understand that when she experiences a rough patch she retreats back to the behaviours that feel most comfortable to her. This does not give me license to retreat back to seeing the ED & not her & to begin (through sheer panic) to question her diet, etc. What a woman! Hopefully the lessons I've learned this week will stay with me & through this forum, be of some help to others in the same situation. Love Adon xxxxxxxxx