Children need their parents to see them, help them understand what feelings are, and help them understand themselves. But emotionally immature parents struggle to self-reflect. They tend to be defensive and self-centered, interact very superficially, and they aren’t capable of empathizing. They won’t go back and attempt repair by apologizing or sharing empathy for something they did that was hurtful. And that ability to repair is so crucial to any kind of relationship, especially the parent-child relationship. Kids of emotionally immature parents learn that they have to supply the empathy to
...more
