Growing up, did you feel like you were the responsible adult and not your parents, or was every aspect of your life under their strict control? Did you feel rejected? Perhaps the constant mood swings made you insecure? If this sounds familiar, you could have been raised by emotionally immature…
What are the signs you grew up in a toxic family? I grew up in a toxic family, but thought it was normal. It was only when I left home and started sharing stories with friends and partners, I realized how different my childhood was. Often, the effects of living…
Does physical contact make you uncomfortable? Are you embarrassed by emotional outbursts? Do you wish you had more close relationships but you’re afraid of being abandoned? If you can relate to this, you may have grown up with emotionally unavailable parents, but these are the consequences. What are the signs?…
Tim and Julie Tennent could never have known they were putting their lives in danger when they agreed to adopt 19-month-old Beth Thomas and her younger brother Jonathan. But they soon found themselves in a terrifying situation. After adoption, Beth started displaying serious psychological traits. She began abusing her little…
Parents are not supposed to have a favorite child, but I’ll tell you something, my mother certainly had one, and it wasn’t me! Don’t worry, I’m not bitter and it certainly hasn’t affected me at all. It’s not like I need constant validation or anything... In our house, there was…
Enmeshment describes a blurring of roles within family relationships. Families should have clear roles such as caregiver, dependent, or the oldest/youngest child. Enmeshment trauma abuse occurs when these roles become blurred. Examples include children assuming a parental role, or parents acting as their child’s friend. The problem with unclear parental…
How does a narcissistic mother affect her daughter? Will the daughter end up with narcissistic traits or will she become a people-pleaser? As with all human interactions, the answer is complicated. Narcissism influences parenting traits and this can affect children’s mental health. In this article, I'll identify 10 symptoms of…
One of my favorite TV programs is ‘Everyone Loves Raymond’. It reminds me of our family. When we grew up, my brother was the favorite child, so I can relate to the toxic rivalry of brothers Robert and Raymond. However, comedy show aside, research indicates that favoring one child over…