She had replied that I was undermining her authority in front of a child.

At the time, I thought the argument was about parenting styles.

In therapy, I began learning the difference between a disagreement about discipline and behavior that makes a child afraid of the adult responsible for her.

It was painful to understand that I had spent months treating Hailey’s fear as a family communication problem.

The therapist also encouraged me to speak with someone myself.

I resisted, saying Hailey was the one who needed help.