Narcissistic, emotionally immature, and otherwise toxic parents love to say their adult child is the toxic one or that it's them walking on eggshells around their child. But despite this being a common talking point in dysfunctional family systems, it's not exactly accurate as to what's happening underneath the surface.

In this episode we discuss:

  • Why adult children and parents aren’t peers, even when you’re both adults
  • The difference between a parent walking on eggshells and a child walking on eggshells, and why they aren’t apples to apples
  • What’s often underneath your parent saying, “I have to walk on eggshells around you”
  • How context gets stripped out of these family dynamics, and why the nuance matters so much for adult children of narcissistic parents

Ready to go deeper?

Stop Getting Pulled Back Into the Chaos is Torie’s self-guided course on how to set and enforce boundaries with a parent who has borderline or narcissistic traits. It covers why your boundaries keep failing, what to do instead, and how to keep going when your parent pushes back.

Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/course

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Need help getting ready for your next interaction with a difficult parent? Check out, Surviving Interactions With a Narcissistic, Emotionally Immature, or Otherwise Toxic Parent.

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Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.

You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.

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