62 Terrible Things Narcissistic Parents Do That Their Kids Never Really Forget

None of us chooses to be brought into this world. So you’d think the people responsible for raising us would at least give us a safe and loving home. Sadly, plenty of children end up in families that make their lives much harder than they ever needed to be.

Over on the Narcissistic Parents subreddit, users share what growing up with an entitled mother or father can be like. Many call out the things they went through, while others use humor to cope. We’ve rounded up a selection of their posts below. Scroll down to check them out.

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I Feel Like This Can Hit Close To Home With Many Of Us Here

That comparison isn’t even much of an exaggeration. Difficult experiences in childhood can actually change the way your brain learns to understand the world.

“If you have a whole bunch of bad experiences growing up, you set up your brain in such a way that it’s your expectation that that’s what life is about,” James Perrin, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Atlantic.

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This

Sadly, childhood trauma is far from rare. According to a 2014 study published in Health Affairs, 48% of US children experience at least one adverse childhood event, while 23% go through two or more.

These can include witnessing domestic violence, living with someone who has a substance problem or having a parent with serious mental illness.

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Thought You All Would Appreciate This One

Children exposed to at least two traumatic or highly stressful events are 2.5 times more likely to repeat a grade or become disengaged from their schoolwork than those who haven’t faced any.

They are also more likely to have chronic health conditions, including asthma, ADHD, autism and obesity.

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I Felt This Post

And growing up doesn’t necessarily mean leaving all of that behind. The habits you learn as a child can follow you for years.

According to Healthline, adults raised by narcissistic parents may struggle to put their own needs first because they spent so long learning that someone else’s feelings mattered more.

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Yup, Same

As a result, they may deal with a lot of self-doubt and struggle with low self-esteem. That can make it harder to trust their own abilities or speak up for themselves.

They might hold back from applying for a better job because they assume they won’t get it. Even asking a coworker for help can feel uncomfortable, so they may end up taking everything on by themselves instead.

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Eventually You Just Accept That There’s No Point

When toxic parents don’t respect their children’s boundaries, those kids can have a hard time setting their own later on. Saying no might feel scary, especially if it used to get them punished or cause an argument.

They can also turn into people-pleasers after learning that keeping a parent happy was the easiest way to get affection. That habit can stick around in friendships and romantic relationships, where they may keep putting someone else first.

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Say It Louder For The People In The Back

Of course, growing up with a toxic parent doesn’t mean you’re doomed to deal with the effects of it forever. People can work through what happened, unlearn the things they had to do to survive and build a much better life for themselves.

The important part is not pretending that kind of childhood was no big deal. Narcissistic parents can make life incredibly hard for their kids, and it can take time to untangle all of that later.

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Kids Aren’t Responsible For Their Parents

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Nice Name Bro, Couldn’t Crosspost

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Indeed

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This Is Literally How I Realized In My Mid 20’s That We Grew Up In An Emotional Abusive Household Wrought With Mental Illnesses

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Pretty Much

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True

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Mind Blown But Its Soo True!!

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Saw This On Instagram, Thought It Belonged Here 😂

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Thought This Would Belong Here

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LOL Yeah I Think This Applies Here

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Bought My Own Car So My Nparents Can’t Use Taking My Keys As A Manipulation Tactic Anymore :)

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Literally Every Night When I Lived With My Nparents

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This Made Me Burst Into Tears

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I Choose Peace!

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Anyone Else?

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Mine To A Tee…

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Found This On Ifunny, Thought You Guys Might Like It

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I Feel Attacked Rn 🙃

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Seen This On Facebook And Thought It Belonged Here :)

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I Feel Like A Lot Of Us Need To See This…

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Happy Mother’s Day

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Like This

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I Need To Keep Telling Myself This

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We Made Ourselves Kind!

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Saw This On Twitter, It Reminded Me Of When Nparent Used To Go Through My Phone And Diary Even When I Was Like 6. Did Anyone Else Have Any Experiences Like This?

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Same. Now I Just Talk Back And Defend Myself 🤷🏻‍♀️

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You’ve Changed (Condescending Tone)

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The Feeling Of Utter Dread

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Yup Pretty Much

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Wish My Parent Knew This

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That’s It, That Is The Excuse

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Man If This Aint My Parents

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I’m Walking On Eggshells, Oooh

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Homework Time Was Always H**l. Got Hit With Textbooks Like That Would Help Me Understand??

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Saw This On Facebook, Thought Of This Sub. Good Day!

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Finally Moving Out

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Anyone Who Gets This Too?

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Not Mine But I Thought You Would All Appreciate It

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It Took Me Until I Was 31 To Even Recognize What My Favorite Color Is. Who Else Had Nparents That Tried To Sabotage The Formation Of Your Identity?

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Something A Lot Of People Here Have Heard Before

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I Considered It Relevant

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Anyone Been Through This

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I Always Thought I Was The Only Person Who Had Created A Different Version Of Myself To Be Around My Nmom. Grateful I Found This Group

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Hmm

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Just Cried A Tear Of Happiness After Reading This. I Broke The Cycle Finally. My Kid Does Not Have To Go Through The Pain Of Dealing With Nparents

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Why Are You Angry With Me ¿

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I’ve Been Doing Research In My Free Time To Un-Learn All The Negativity And Toxic Behaviours. Thanks For Nothing

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Saw This On 9gag

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Thought Of My Nmom When I Saw This

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Not Necessarily Narcissistic But Definitely Displays A Lack Of Respect/Boundaries

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Meeting My In Laws And Seeing What Real Families Are Like

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Untitled

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So True

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Is This A Common Thing?

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Anyone Who Grew Up With Narcissistic Parents Would Understand

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