Children Quote by Emily Parker
““While their personalities may differ from person to person, the commonality is that with a narcissistic parent: their needs and wants always come first, above anyone else in the household. As a result of this experience, their children will often become codependent as they learn to adapt. Rather than the parent bearing the responsibility of the children’s emotional needs, the child will have to learn to bear the responsibility of the parent’s emotional needs. In these relationships, the narcissistic parent will feel entitled, and the child will likely feel unentitled, or as though they don’t deserve to have anything. The child will feel the need to sacrifice and deny their own feelings and needs to meet those of the parents. Unless the child also develops a narcissistic personality disorder, in which case both the parent and child will use each other to establish their own superiority. Children of narcissistic parents learn that they should not trust nor value themselves, and they often grow up alienated from who they truly are. They may feel like they have to prove themselves so that they can win the narcissistic parent’s approval but may lack the motivation to pursue their own wants and goals when they are not externally imposed. In other words, they will have difficulty feeling motivated by their own wants and desires and will rely on others telling them what they should want and desire in order for them to go out and achieve it. While””
About This Quote
Children of narcissistic parents often become codependent, sacrificing their own needs to satisfy the parent, leading to low self‑worth and difficulty pursuing personal goals.
In simple terms: They lose self‑value and become overly dependent.
Cultivate self‑care and boundaries.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- therapy
- personal growth
- boundary setting
- self‑esteem building
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you rebuild self‑worth?
- What steps set healthy boundaries?
Recovery requires confronting deep‑seated patterns.