Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Dear Care and Feeding,My 5-year-old, “Serena,” has a very different relationship with me than she does with her dad. He finally got to a point where he felt burnt out and is now trying to set some boundaries. She will do many of these things independently if she is with me and he’s not home. when I found out he thinks she does more independently when she is with me because she “loves him more.”