☠️ What it means to have grown up with toxic parenting
Growing up with toxic parenting meant learning that love came with an emotional rollercoaster—screaming matches followed by tearful apologies, creating a template where chaos and intense emotions felt like what love was supposed to look like.
You may have been assigned a role before you even knew who you were—scapegoat, golden child, lost child, or family caretaker—forced to abandon your authentic self to fit into your family's dysfunction. You learned to watch your parent's moods constantly, adapting yourself before trouble started, while your reality was constantly questioned and redefined. Adults in your home never admitted responsibility, instead blaming, deflecting, or raging when confronted.
Your feelings were consistently dismissed, minimized, or turned against you, teaching you that expressing authentic thoughts and emotions was dangerous territory. You might struggle with boundaries now—either putting up walls to guard against getting hurt, or having no boundaries at all, giving up everything for love. The voice of harsh judgment in your head sounds suspiciously like your parent, constantly questioning your decisions and worth.