Parentification and other things

[Water-Lily]

I don't think my parents intended to make me be a "parent" at a young age. Parentification is a term referring to how parents (typically abusive/dysfunctional parents) place an emotional burden on a child that should be reserved for the parent. I cannot say my childhood was gone completely. My mom knew about my love for pokemon and made sure I had all the latest games and merchandise. She also made Broadway shows a staple in my childhood and took me to many amusement parks. Though the abuse was still heavy and is the reason why I want to CTB, some good was there.

But there was a lot of bad. I felt I had to carry on my problems on my own. I had to care for my brothers mental health, and help my dad with his depression. So much was placed on me I had to be mature. So though I have not lost all of my childhood (tbh my favorite years was age 7-12) I struggled a lot especially in my teenage years. I hope this isn't me re-writing the script, though I don't think so. Just me processing the full picture

Today I had to be a "parent" for my brother. I reached out and got 4 resources for available therapy near us. I am gonna discuss my findings with my dad. As much as I wanna punch him in the face (figuratively) I know he is struggling. As a father he should still be doing better, but I guess working 5-7 days a week is the best he can do. Mental health isn't something he knows about so I took on the job to help my brother

I hope this all works out,

 

[BandAddict]

That's very good of you to take the time to do that. Nobody really likes to go out of their way to help others, particularly when it comes to mental illness. And when you're the one suffering, it's especially difficult to help others, let alone help yourself. I hope things work out for the better.

 

[LittleBabyNothing]

I can relate to a lot there. My advice is set your boundaries, make sure you put you first and only if you have the means then support others. It's not selfish to protect yourself. Stay Beautiful