““By reversing roles with her son, a mother communicates to him that he is supposed to comfort, protect, and take care of her. She may express this to the child in a variety of ways; she may suffer in martyred silence but make it very clear to her child that she feels trapped and miserable; she may tell her child that she can't take care of herself and that without his love she has nothing left to live for; she may get ill often or be chronically depressed, drink heavily, or become involved in some other form of self-destructive behavior. No matter how she shows her suffering, the result is the same: the young boy feels it is his responsibility to make her happy. He believes that he is expected to rescue his mother. By shoving her son into a role he is not equipped to handle, this mother helps to create in him deep resentments that will later turn into anger at women.””
