We psychologists have a theory called regression, which in general terms means reverting to childhood roles and behavior. This can especially happen during stressful times, including major family events, when all of a sudden, a middle-aged adult is acting like a 14-year-old.
If you feel that family members are treating you like a child, particularly the child you used to be but are no longer, try not to react in a defensive, knee-jerk manner. Stay calm, step back, and reflect on how they are making you feel.
What is infantilizing behavior? Infantilizing behavior consists of actions and words on the part of a parent or another person that treats someone as though they are younger or less mature than their actual age. While it often happens with younger children or teenagers, anyone can be the target of infantilization.
Possible reasons your parents may be treating you like you are younger: you have not shown as much maturity as you think you have. your parents underestimate you. your parents are overprotective (typically comes from a combination of great love and great anxiety)
But while age and personality play a role in why one child gets more from a parent than another, over and above this are issues of parental stress. When parents experience financial strain, mental health problems or partner conflict, differential parenting or sibling favouritism becomes more marked.
What Are Toxic Parents? Toxic parents create a negative and toxic home environment. They use fear, guilt, and humiliation as tools to get what they want and ensure compliance from their children. They are often neglectful, emotionally unavailable, and abusive in some cases.
Wide Range of Alienation Tactics
The adult children with parental alienation syndrome described a range of alienating strategies, including constant badmouthing of the targeted parent, chronic interference with visitation and communication, and emotional manipulation to choose one parent over the other.
“Regression happens to people when they feel stressed or anxious causing them to revert to old behaviors or habits they exhibited as a child because it is somewhat easier to do this than face the stressor,” says Jenny Noia-Gilson, a licensed clinical social worker.
Don't just say, “Don't treat me like a child.” Instead, communicate how their actions make you feel. Use clear terms your spouse can understand and try to get them to see things from your point of view. Establish healthy boundaries with your spouse that will help re-establish respect in your relationship.
Even if you don't fully recognize it, research indicates that there's a good chance that you actually do have a favorite. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found 74% of moms and 70% of dads reported preferential treatment toward one child.
“He must, first and foremost, treat his daughter with respect and love. Whether or not he is married to or still together with his daughter's mom, showing respect to her mother is essential as well,” explains Austin. “He must also value women as human beings, and not as persons to be used.
Most mothers and fathers have favourites – and that's OK. “There are going to be days when we prefer to be around one child over another, for a number of different reasons,” she says. “The important thing to remember is that having a favourite child does not mean that you love your other children less.”
Dads may not realize it, but they don't treat their sons and daughters the same way, according to a new study. Turns out, fathers are more attentive and responsive to their young daughters' cries compared to their sons and sing more to their little girls while roughhousing with their boys.
What is Malicious Parent Syndrome? Malicious Parent Syndrome (MPS) is a type of vengeful behavior exhibited by some divorcing or separated parents. It occurs when a parent deliberately tries to place the other bad parent in a bad light and harm their child's relationship with them.
Divorced Dad Syndrome, also referred to as Guilty Dad (or Father) Syndrome, is a behavioral pattern that arises in some men after the divorce. They get engulfed by feelings of guilt because the family has broken apart perhaps due to their wrongful actions.
Golden children are usually raised by narcissistic parents who are controlling and authoritarian. They coerce their child into being “perfect” by creating a toxic environment where the children do not feel safe voicing their own opinions or going against any rules.
Some of the common signs of a toxic parent or parents include: Highly negatively reactive. Toxic parents are emotionally out of control. They tend to dramatize even minor issues and see any possible slight as a reason to become hostile, angry, verbally abusive, or destructive.
The most common toxic behavior of parents is to criticize their child, express self-wishes, complain about the difficulties of raising a child, make unhealthy comparisons, and make hurtful statements1.
Oldest child syndrome refers to a number of characteristics people develop as an outcome of being the first-born. For instance, following the birth of another baby, the firstborn goes from being the “only child” of their parents to having to share their parent's love and attention with a younger sibling.
Overall, 38 percent of Americans who are the youngest in their family report they were the favorite, compared to 27 percent of those who were oldest. Middle children are the least likely to say they were a favorite child; only 20 percent believe they were.