Yes again. I am beginning to see the dynamic here. Why am I beating myself up to want someone who is acting like a teenager? What does that say about me and my self-esteem?
I think it says that you on some level derive your self worth by being needed by her, by being her rescuer, by being her white knight.
That's a pretty basic male ego driven thing, as I understand it.
Where you run into trouble is when it becomes co-dependent, and as a result, unhealthy, as it does when you have someone on the other side of the equation who has that desperate need for love and acceptance by the man in her life.
So you stop the cycle by accepting and loving yourself, rather than trying to get the validation and reassurance that you need by being her rescuer.
You're a good man, Jeff. You're smart, you're funny, you're a good dad and a good son. You're loyal, a good listener, and a compassionate and thoughtful friend. And I suspect there are lots of other, um, fine qualities that I can only wonder about...
You're no frog, Boo; you don't need any woman to turn you into a prince.
