Parenting is often described as one of life’s most rewarding journeys, but it can also be one of the most challenging!

If you’ve ever caught yourself reacting in a way that doesn’t align with the parent you want to be—maybe snapping in frustration or feeling overly responsible for your child’s emotions—you’re not alone. These moments often stem from our own unresolved childhood experiences, which subtly shape the way we interact with and nurture our children.

Emotional gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where one person seeks to make another doubt their perceptions, memories, and feelings. This insidious tactic often manifests in family dynamics, particularly between parents and their children, leading to profound and lasting damage.

Narcissistic parents raise their children to believe that their authentic self is somehow flawed. These children spend so much of their lives trying to be what their parents want them to be, and taking care of the parent’s emotional needs, that it is difficult to keep in touch with who they are and what they need as individuals.

Children need to feel loved, seen, heard, and known. This highest form of love is unconditional love - knowing that you are loved even if you are being told off, knowing that you are loved even if you are misbehaving.