Perhaps the worst thing a parent can hear from a grown up child is, “I want you out of my life. You’re toxic.” It’s a death sentence for the relationship, spelling a long period of estrangement if not a permanent break. It may be the healthiest decision for the child, but it is a heartbreaking one that carves a deep wound in both psyches, making the road to reconciliation arduous and uncertain. No parent is perfect. We’re all human, and we all make mistakes, including some whoppers. But there’s a difference between screwing up while providing healthy love and presiding over a psychologically damaging childhood that will necessitate a lifetime of healing. The steps outlined below are for concerned parents who want to do things right and are willing to examine themselves critically. They presuppose a healthy degree of self-awareness and the desire and ability to make positive changes. They do not address behavior caused by substance abuse or serious mental illness. And they are only one man’s opinion.
Step in with determination not to be right but to make things right between the two of you.
1. Be the bigger person. You’re not only literally the bigger person, you’re the grown-up. Act like one. After the fight, be the one who breaks the silence, extends the olive branch, and works to restore healthy communication. You may have been right, but if being right is what parenting is about for you, you’re going to alienate your kid. Apply the advantages of maturity for good. Step back and process. Use your judgment. And step in with determination not to be right but to make things right between the two of you. Kids are much less likely to remember whether you won or lost a particular fight or argument than to recall exactly how you made them feel.
2. Don’t pathologize your children to cover up your own poor parenting skills. Labeling a child or using (or worse, seeking) a diagnosis, such as ADD/ADHD or a personality disorder, to explain and excuse behavior that you should be addressing—-or that mirrors your unhealthy modeling—-places a lead weight on your child that he or she will be eager to lift at the onset of adulthood. The same goes for blaming undesirable behavior on bad genes—-meaning your partner’s. It’s one thing to be realistic about and treat an actual condition. It’s entirely another to indoctrinate your child with the inevitability of a limited, unhappy life due to inescapable deficiencies while refusing to address your own failings.
Don’t hang your emotional state on their emotional state or co-opt their experiences and feelings by making it all about you.
3. Don’t make their drama your drama. Your kid gets the lead in the play or scores the winning run, basket, or goal in the championship game, or on the flip side, struggles with depression or endures a nasty breakup. Who’s triumphing or suffering? Who deserves the credit or the sympathy? Put the focus where it belongs—-on your child—-and keep it there. Sure, you have feelings. You share joy in your kids’ accomplishments and sorrow for their troubles. But don’t hang your emotional state on their emotional state or co-opt their experiences and feelings by making it all about you.
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