5 Tips to Manage Being a Child of An Emotionally Immature Parent

Growing up with an emotionally immature parent can cause a lot of stress that may follow a person into their adulthood. Some may have grown up feeling like a parentified child and having to take care of things on their own. In this blog, we explore different ways to navigate through being a child of an emotionally immature parent.

1. Establish Boundaries:

Be as clear as possible when setting boundaries with your emotionally immature parent(s). We know, boundaries are hard! BUT, they can be so beneficial. Implementing a boundary may look something like, "I am sorry you are going through that, but unfortunately I can't help you resolve that issue". Boundary implementation may evoke a sense of guilt or shame. Allow yourself to identity that emotion, acknowledge the feeling, and allow yourself the space and opportunity to move forward in a way that is accepting and nonjudgmental. 

2. Adjust your expectations:

If you've made it to number two of the list, there's a good chance that something here resonates with you. Allow yourself to learn about emotionally immature parents, and work to adjust your expectations of them in your life. Did you expect to have weekly phone calls with your parents once you moved out? Did the phone calls make you feel upset or anxious? If so, let's tweak our expectation to expect and honor a simple check in, without going in depth about your personal life.

3. Meet Your Own Needs:

Surround yourself with friends and family members who fill your cup. We understand that recognizing your parents were unable to fulfil your needs may be a tough pill to swallow. Work to gain that sense of acceptance and support from other important people in your life.

4. Become the parent you needed:

If you are a parent yourself, this can be a game changer to healing past wounds and trauma. We can provide a life for our children that we had dreamed of when we were younger. We can work to be more in tune with ourselves, our emotions, and our own triggers. We can teach our children about boundaries, empathy, and self-acceptance.

5. Keep growing:

Finally found a label for an issue in your life? Great, now let's build off of that. Let's work to ensure that we are keeping ourselves in a stable and healthy spot by implementing boundaries, seeking support from others, and taking care of our minds and bodies.

Don't feel like you have to navigate through this alone! Call our office if you're interested in individual therapy to continue to explore your relationship with your parent.