Interestingly, before that happens some children will show an intensifying of the symptom, as if they are trying to “draw” the focus back. That reaction will be shortlived if the parents are warned ahead of time that it may happen, and stay on course with their own efforts to pull up in functioning. Parents understanding how they perceive and react emotionally to different children differently can, with effort, get the focus off the kids and back on to themselves and their own adult relationships.
