“A tyrannical father will establish a minidictatorship in which only he is allowed to express himself. Much of that expression is likely… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“A woman who submits to her husband's abusive treatment is living out the role of victim and behaving more like a helpless… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“When a child is subjected to verbal attacks, she sees it not as something being done to her but as something she… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“The messages we receive as children become the core information we use about ourselves and our position in the world for the… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
Many toxic parents compare one sibling unfavorably with another to make the target child feel that he's not doing enough to gain… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
Love involves more than just feelings. It is also a way of behaving. When Sandy said, "My parents don't know how to… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“When a child isn't allowed to deal with his frustrations on his own—to cry, for instance, then to handle the situation, and… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“It is behavior, not words, that has the greatest impact on a child. When a mother tells her daughter not to allow… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Most adult children of toxic parents grow up feeling tremendous confusion about what love means and how it’s supposed to feel. Their… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Because children are totally dependent on their parents for their physical and emotional survival, their need for parental love is absolute. The… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Because so much of the needy mother's energies go into her own suffering, she has little left over for her children's needs.… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Children expect different things from each parent. Traditionally, the mother is expected to protect and defend the children, while the father is… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“By reversing roles with her son, a mother communicates to him that he is supposed to comfort, protect, and take care of… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Women in troubled marriages frequently try to work out their problems through their children. Whether a woman does this through the extremes… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Anger is a normal human emotion and all children experience it to some degree, but many parents have difficulty dealing with it.… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“When I first began working in this area, I was startled to learn that while people who were physically abused by their… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Frustrations are an inevitable part of life, and learning to deal with them in manageable doses helps us to develop a solid… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Most of us are very sensitive about our roles as mothers. If the misogynist feels his partner is betraying him for the… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“As children, because of our dependency, we experience a sense of being powerless in a world of powerful people. If our home… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
Children who are not encouraged to do, to try, to explore, to master, and to risk failure, often feel helpless and inadequate.… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“While every parental behavior sends out a message of some kind, it is only the repetitive themes that form the child's picture… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“A man who is raised by a misogynistic father can absorb his father's contempt for women very early in life. The boy… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Even after we grow up, many of us continue to believe that we have little control over our lives. We may see… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“I also believe that forgiveness is appropriate only when parents do something to earn it. Toxic parents, especially the more abusive ones,… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“An even darker side to the behavior of the needy, victim mother is that she may use her son as a sacrificial… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must conform to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents. They promote fusion, a blurring… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“When we are children our families take care of our basic survival needs; they are also our first and most important sources… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Children in misogynistic households experience tremendous rage, tension, and frustration. When they see their mothers victimized either psychologically or physically, they become… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“In addition to withholding love and attention and thereby frustrating her son, a cold, rejecting mother will often punish him for his… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Instead of promoting healthy development, they unconsciously undermine it, often with the belief that they are acting in their child’s best interest.” — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“The initial disappointment for the misogynist usually occurs early in the relationship. However, because there is so much excitement and romance going on, the… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Reality Check His lying is not contigent on who you are or what you do. His lying is not your fault. Lying is his… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Many misogynists use this method of turning the tables to deflect blame from themselves. They may say: "You are too sensitive"; "You're overreacting"; "You… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Children expect different things from each parent. Traditionally, the mother is expected to protect and defend the children, while the father is seen as… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Our laws and institutions concerning women's rights and male prerogatives are changing, but many men still believe that their masculine image depends on their… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“As children, because of our dependency, we experience a sense of being powerless in a world of powerful people. If our home environments are… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Some misogynists do not resort to the obvious cruelty of scare tactics and screamed insults to gain control of their partners. Instead of raising… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Children from high-drama households often grow up with the idea that tension is an integral part of love. Therefore, the girl who grows up… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
“Anger is a normal human emotion and all children experience it to some degree, but many parents have difficulty dealing with it. Often they… — Susan Forward Copy Share Image
