Emotional incest, covert incest, parentification & parentalizing. All describe the same abusive behavior & a topic I’ve written about before. When a parent treats their child as an equal rather than their child, expecting that child to listen to their woes, tales of marital discord, details of their sex life, &/or expecting their child to care for them in ways such as cooking & cleaning for them well beyond what is age appropriate, it damages the child psychologically. The child in this situation often grows up anxious, depressed, lacking healthy relationship skills, feels guilt for things they aren’t responsible for & may even have issues with addiction. Often at the very least, they choose very poorly suited romantic partners.
Sadly, parentalizing is barely discussed in a negative light. Many people see a child & her parent behaving in this way & praise their “close” or “loving” relationship. They even tell the child how lucky she is to have a mom who loves her so much, how she has to be strong for her mom or other similar comments. And, when the child, no matter the age, does something that upsets her parent or *gasp* thinks of herself first, she is labeled unappreciative, selfish, a spoiled brat & more. This lays even more unnecessary guilt on that child, & it is absolutely unfair!
Let’s get one thing straight. No one is responsible for anyone else’s emotions. Yes, someone you love can make you feel happy, sad, angry, etc. sometimes, but that doesn’t mean they are in control of your emotions. YOU ARE! This is especially true for children. Children need to be children, not their parent’s emotional caregiver!
When a parent is abandoned by someone they love, & the only person close to them is their child, it can be understandable they reach out to their child for comfort & companionship. That doesn’t make it right, though! Children are growing up – that is enough responsibility on their little shoulders!
Children also didn’t ask to be born. It’s not their fault if the parents couldn’t maintain a healthy & loving relationship. Making the child feel that they must step into the role of that other parent is cruel, abusive & unfair!
If you grew up in this sort of situation, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry for the pain & suffering you have been through. Having been there myself I know it is a miserable situation.
If it is still happening, you’re going to have to set some serious boundaries with your parent. Change the subject as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable. Tell your parent you’re leaving or hanging up the phone if she insists on talking about your other parent that way, then follow through with your threat if need be.
Whether the abuse is still happening or not, you’re going to need to heal from the damage done. Pray. Get angry. Cry. Remind yourself what was done to you was unfair & undeserved. Write in a journal. Talk to a trusted friend or therapist. Do whatever helps you to heal!
You can heal from the effects of emotional incest. It takes time & work, but it can be done. xoxo
Profound, and brilliant as usual. And just what I needed today.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
Are you ok??
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Hear! Hear!
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I’m sorry that I am not clear on this, but are you from a “nuclear” family?
Were you mom and dad married to each other the whole time they abused you?
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Not sure if you were asking me that or IBikeNYC.. if me, yes, they were.
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I was asking you Cynthia. I was going to post a long spiel about how the culture of the 70s and 80s, and how all the movies encouraged parents to divorce.
But then, I remembered your parents had stayed together.
And your intact “nuclear” family was just as abusive
It would be nice to think that there were some people who had children for benevolent reasons.
I have yet to meet one
Women seem to have children to manipulate men
Men in-pregnant women to keep the women trapped
Children are just pawns in their game.
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Ok, just checking.. the comment showed below hers so I had to ask..
I’m sure there are plenty of people who have children for good reasons. Hard to believe that when you’ve got a lot of experience with narcissists, though..
Yes!! That’s why so many awful people have children, for purposes of manipulation or control. Meanwhile the innocent children have to pay for their parents’ selfishness
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Great post, Cynthia. Parentification. Yes, it is abusive. And got it from both parents.
It starts with my earliest memories. Two years old, and my parents are arguing and yelling at each other. Then my dad picks me up and holds me on his lap. “Linda still loves me, even if nobody else does,” he says. This happened many times.
My mother did similar things, plus she confided in me as though I were her best friend. Four years old, and she is telling me all the romantic details about her former boyfriend, her “true love” that she dated before she met my dad. By the time I was twelve, I knew many details about my mother’s sex life, which I never wanted or needed to know. Sick, is what that is!
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Thank you!!
Geez… your parents were so awful to you! I’m so sorry! My parents did similar things to me, so I really feel your pain. I remember them fighting in the living room, then coming into my bedroom to continue fighting when I was probably 8 or so. They had to involve me in their fights somehow & if it wasn’t that, it was confiding in me about how awful the other one treated them. Narcissists have NO idea how sick & abusive such things are, nor do they care 😦
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I think they do know.
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Well, that’s true.. they just justify how sick it is by turning things around to us being the problem.
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((HUGS)), not “like.”
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💘💘
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Love love love!!! Soooo true! This was my life with my mom.
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I’m so glad you liked! Equally sorry though that you experienced this with your mother! 💕
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I agree with “get angry” – something most of us were not allowed to do – especially if female. There is power in anger, not that we have to act it out on someone. Just write your angry, rageful thoughts, throw rocks, swing a bat, golf club, whatever feels great to discharge that pent up angst, those words that were silenced, the hate for your situation, for your parents. Anger needs expression, it is a catalyst to transform your power. I write about anger, a lot. I have plenty but now it works for me rather than against me. I process it maturely when it arises. Great read, gets people talking and thinking.
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Very wise advice! Thank you so much for sharing it! 🙂
Thank you very much!
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