Difficult Parents

As your self-absorbed parent grows older and becomes more dependent on you, hurtful relationships may resurface and become further strained. In the tradition of Children of the Self-Absorbed, author Nina Brown offers the first book for adult children of aging narcissistic or self-absorbed parents. You will learn practical, powerful strategies for navigating the intense negative feelings that your parents can incite as well as tips to protect your children from the criticism, blame, or hostility that may exist between you and their grandparent.

Full of actionable advice and insider tips, When Your Aging Parent Needs Help provides practical and flexible steps that move concerned families toward effective elder care action, while respecting a parent's dignity and autonomy.

Difficult brings to life the conflicts that arise for mothers who are confronted with the unexpected and burdensome dependencies of their adult children associated with mental illness, substance use, or chronic unemployment. Through real stories of mothers and their challenging adult children, this book offers accessible, provocative, and, at times, shocking illustrations of the excruciating maternal dilemma: Which takes precedence—the needs of the mother or of the distressed adult child? Difficult addresses a family situation which too many keep secret.

Your mother posts on Facebook about being a "blessed mom" while you're having panic attacks at the thought of calling her. Sound familiar? "After everything I've done for you..." "You're too sensitive..." "No one will ever love you like I do..." "I was just trying to help..." These phrases echo in your head long after the conversation ends. You apologize for existing. You feel guilty when good things happen to you. You're exhausted from managing everyone's emotions except your own. And the worst part? Everyone thinks she's wonderful. Have you ever found yourself asking: • Why do I feel ...

The best news on the planet is that your mother doesn't have to change in order for you to be happy. In fact, author Karen C.L. Anderson will take it a step further and say your mother doesn't have to change in order for you to be free, peaceful, contented, and joyful. You can emotionally separate without guilt: Inspired by her own journey, Anderson's Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters shows women how to emotionally separate from their mothers without guilt and anxiety so they can finally create a life based on their own values, desires, needs, and preferences.

Stop Raising Adult-Children Break the Cycle of Blame and Take Your Life Back If you feel trapped supporting an adult child who won’t launch, paying their bills, absorbing their anger, and sacrificing your own peace, you’re not failing as a parent. You’re caught in a cultural pattern no one warned you about, and there is a way out that doesn’t require abandoning your child or yourself. Today’s parents are raising legal adults who still expect to be treated like children, while blaming their parents for every struggle. The result is exhaustion, guilt, resentment, and a quiet fear ...

You love your mother, but she drives you crazy. She controls, criticizes, and butts into your life constantly. Then when you try and set boundaries, the pushback and resulting guilt are so bad you tell yourself...it's just not worth it. Is your mother narcissistic, borderline, or just plain difficult? Are you empathetic, sensitive, and kind? If so, chances are you have fallen into one or all of the hidden psychological traps that constitute the Good Daughter Syndrome.

In Done with the Crying: Help and Healing for Mothers of Estranged Adult Children, Sheri McGregor, MA, helps parents break free from emotional pain - and move forward in their own lives. As a loving mother to whom the unthinkable happened, McGregor knows the horrible shock that wrings a parent dry, triggers denial, blame, anger, and shame. With empathy and understanding, as well as tools, the latest research, and insight from more than 9,000 parents of estranged adult children, McGregor helps parents of estranged adults plan, prepare for emotional triggers, and prevail over pain.

Using the newest research on human attachment and brain development, Terri Apter, an internationally acclaimed psychologist and writer, unlocks the mysteries of this complicated bond. She showcases the five different types of difficult mother - the angry mother, the controlling mother, the narcissistic mother, the envious mother, and the emotionally neglectful mother - and explains the patterns of behavior seen in each type.

This book is for you if you love your parents, grandparents, or other elderly people and genuinely want to help and care for them, but find yourself struggling with challenges such as: Your efforts to help them are not appreciated. They constantly complain or display a pessimistic attitude. They appear inflexible, stubborn, and unwilling to change. They struggle to learn even the basics of digital equipment. They fail to understand your point of view. They ignore health precautions prescribed by doctors. They engage in risky activities that could endanger their health. They sometimes treat ...

Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but every family faces challenges that can be frustrating and overwhelming. For more than 25 years, internationally renowned clinical psychologist Thomas W. Phelan's 1-2-3 Magic has helped millions of parents, teachers, and caregivers raise independent, emotionally intelligent children and build happier, healthier families - all through an easy to understand program that you'll swear "works like magic".

Ever since his mother was killed in the line of duty in Iraq, Derrick has been absolutely certain that the apocalypse is coming. And he's prepared: he's got plenty of canned goods, he's fully outfitted with HAZMAT suits, and he's building himself a sturdy fallout shelter. When his neighbor Misty insists on helping with the shelter, Derrick doesn't think it's such a good idea. Misty's just had a kidney transplant, and her reaction to her brush with death is the opposite of Derrick's. When Derrick's promised apocalypse day begins, Derrick and Misty have to figure out a way to survive.

Are you exhausted from constant tantrums, defiance, or full-on meltdowns—wondering if anything will ever work? You're not alone. Many parents are silently drowning in guilt, confusion, and fear that they’ve somehow failed their child. Especially when traditional discipline methods backfire, and advice from professionals only leads to more frustration—or worse, pushes you toward medication as a first resort. This book offers a way out. A real one. Discipline Systems That Work for Out-of-Control Kids is a no-nonsense, deeply practical guide for parents, guardians, and caregivers who are...

Having a narcissistic parent can create long lasting effects on our self-esteem, confidence and subsequent relationships. Raised By Narcissists will teach you to acknowledge and begin to heal from the difficult experience of narcissistic parental abuse, reclaim your experience and move on to build a better future.

The book highlights the importance of setting realistic boundaries and consistency, showing how to involve your child in setting these limits to promote ownership and cooperation. Positive discipline techniques, such as natural consequences and reward systems, are explored in depth to help you guide your child's behavior constructively. The key to the approach is empathy. You'll learn how to see the world through your child's eyes, validate their feelings, and build an emotional vocabulary that helps them express their complex emotions. Effective communication strategies, such as active ...

Reef and Theo don't know what's happening to them. They'll be going about their days and then suddenly they'll have these strange flashes of memory—but the memories don't belong to them. And at the same time, their own memories are starting to... vanish. For Reef, this is a big problem, because memories are all he has left of his mom. For Theo, it's strange because the new memories give him a freedom he doesn't have with his domineering dad.

Want to improve your relationship with your problematic parents? This honest and supportive guide, written by an experienced teen therapist, will help. This book is for you―not your parents. Step-by-step, using approaches that are relatively easy but bring big results, you’ll be guided in...

Molly knows that her purpose is to take care of her girl, C. J., but it won't be easy. Neglected by her mother, Gloria, who won't allow her to have a dog, C. J. is going through some tough times. Molly's job is to stay hidden in C. J.'s room, cuddle up to her at night, and protect her from bad people. And no matter what Gloria does to separate them, nothing will keep Molly away from the girl that she loves.

Elsie Dinsmore is an endearing 8-year-old girl with several bewildering problems. She has never known her mother, who died when Elsie was a baby, and she longs for a close, loving relationship with her father. He, however, has sent her off to be raised at Roselands, his brother's Southern plantation, where her teacher, Miss Day, harshly criticizes her and her cousins tease her relentlessly.

The death of a parent is heartbreaking, but the issues surrounding suicide can be even more devastating. My Grief is Like the Ocean was written by mental health professionals who wanted to support caregivers during incredibly difficult conversations with children. Using the latest research and clinical guidance, and told from the perspective of a boy who lost his father to suicide, this book will help children to feel supported. When caregivers and children listen to this book together, they will gain a valuable resource for engaging in honest discussions to help families heal.