Are You 'Parentifying' Your Children? Here's What You Should Know.
Huff Postshapecharge via Getty Images Some caregivers fall into the trap of "parentifying" their children. “Some examples of the emotional aspect might be a parent who doesn’t know how to manage their own feelings of grief, sadness, or overwhelm and looks to their children for support,” Geering said. “That might look like a mother crying, sharing all of her problems with her child, and even saying something like, ‘I’m so sad ― I need you to make me happy,’ or, ‘If it weren’t for you I don’t know what I’d do.’” While some parents might say these sorts of things once or twice in a moment of weakness, parents who repeatedly suggest that their child is responsible for their feelings are parentifying their children. But the child still feels the impact, regardless of why.” - Kristene Geering, parent educator at the Parent Lab “Other ways in which parentification comes about is born out of a parent’s need for emotional support,” Booth Watkins said. “Additionally, when children aren’t afforded the space and opportunity to experience and express emotions or are overly burdened with supporting a parent’s emotional needs, they can demonstrate lack of confidence and low self-esteem,” she added.
History of this topic
4 Signs You May Have Been 'Parentified' As A Child
Huff Post
Provider or nurturer: what kind of parent are you?
Live Mint
Common experiences of those raised by an emotionally immature caregiver
Hindustan Times
What does child parentification looks like: Psychotherapist explains
Hindustan Times
Child pleading for sibling: parenting advice from Care and Feeding.
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