Did you experience sexual abuse at the hands of your grandfather? Over the years of writing this blog, a number of women shared with me their stories of being sexually abused by their grandparent. At first, these stories stood out as bizarre and shocking. But the more I learned, the more I realized that grandfather […]
Family Ties
Why Your Enabler Father Didn’t Protect You From Your Narcissistic Mother
Did you grow up with a narcissistic mother and an enabler father? If so, you probably have conflicting feelings about him. On the one hand, you feel a certain closeness and even sympathy for him. After all, narcissists are incapable of healthy relationships, so they’re often abusive to their spouses as well as their children. […]
The Upside of Being a Scapegoat Child of a Narcissistic Parent
If you are an adult child of a narcissistic parent, you likely played one of two roles in your family: a golden child or a scapegoat. A golden child is the pride of the family, while the scapegoat occupies a much less enviable role — that of a screwup who can’t do anything right. If […]
The Dark Reality of Being a Golden Child of a Narcissistic Parent
If you have a narcissistic parent, you can play one of two polar opposite roles in your family: golden child or scapegoat. If you’re a golden child, you’re your parent’s favorite little darling and you can do no wrong. In most people’s eyes, this is an enviable position to be in, especially if you consider […]
Do Toxic Parents Get Better in Old Age?
Do toxic parents get better in old age or do they become even more insufferable? On this website, we talk a lot about toxic or narcissistic parents, the lies they taught you, and how to stop seeking love and validation from them. But any exploration of an abusive parent’s psychology would be incomplete without understanding […]
10 Signs Your Narcissistic Mother is an Emotional Vampire
If you have a narcissistic mother, chances are, she’s also an emotional vampire. Just like mythical vampires, emotional vampires are parasites that feed on others. Here are 10 signs that your mother might be one of these parasitic creatures. What is an Emotional Vampire? An emotional vampire is someone who feeds off other people’s emotional […]