Breaking Free From Your Narcissistic Family
Written by Randi Fine
Narcissistic Abuse Awareness and Guidance with Randi Fine
The home life of children growing up under the constraints of narcissistic parents is loveless, chaotic, confusing, volatile and unpredictable. The mind games narcissistic parents play with their children cause a lifetime of damage; emotionally, psychologically and physically.
Conditioned to believe that the way their family functions is normal and that there is nothing unusual about the narcissistic parent’s behavior, never existing in a family with healthy dynamics and patterns, children often do not recognize the abuse. If they do recognize it they somehow believe they deserve it.
It is constantly reinforced, either subtly or directly, that the children must not do anything to make their family look bad, and that they are never to share their family’s secrets. Narcissistic parents insist that nothing is wrong with the family and that the children show a perfect face to the world.
Narcissistic parents triangulate siblings to control information, gather allies and pit them against each other. It is no wonder that siblings in this environment are precariously bonded to each other, if at all. Though they may not outwardly express it, the children carry resentments for each other. They have no way of knowing that their animosity toward each other has been deliberately orchestrated by their narcissistic parent.
These parents preach that the family must stay close and loyal to each other. This can be very confusing for children who, on one hand believe what their parents tell them, and on the other hand feel no closeness at all.
Since narcissistic parents have no true love to give, the children are starved for it. Every crumb thrown their way feels like a feast. The children compete with each other i