I just want to thank everyone for the support and advice. It wasn't easy for me to talk about my negative feelings for difficult child 2, even here. However, I had so much guilt over my negative feelings that I decided to vent. I'm glad I did.
Just knowing I'm not alone in my feelings helps more than you can possibly know... I really like the way Sue explained things in terms of "emotional numbness." It makes lots of sense.
And, MidwestMom I think you have a good point. Looking back, I think I've thought difficult child 2 might need to be re-evaluated and put on medication for a while now but I was procrastinating. There was a time that I just had too much on my plate and I was afraid to hear anything else negative about difficult child 2. Of course this wasn't very smart on my part!!!
Thanks again. I'm so glad I've finally found a place where I can freely express my feelings and get support and advice from experienced :warrior:s. WFEN