Parentification and Mourning a Lost Childhood
When we think of childhood, many of us think about a simpler, easier time in our lives, when we had few responsibilities and more freedom. However, if you are an adult who grew up parentified, your adulthood likely feels like an extension of a childhood fraught with worry, responsibility, and caretaking. If you’ve ever been with a group of adults where everyone is waxing nostalgic about being kids, and all you can offer is a tight smile and a vacant stare, you’re not alone. Mourning the loss of a childhood when you grew up parentified is a necessary step in moving into a healthier adulthood, as the process of recognition, mourning, and acceptance helps you to acknowledge what you didn’t have while focusing on what you want to build for yourself or for your own children in the future. Recognizing the loss Experiences of loss don’t always have to include death. The loss of a job, a relationship, or physical functioning—these are situations in which we may experience grief and struggle with transitioning to a …
