It’s Your Fault: Parental Fragility and the Eggshell Parent

Navigating family bonds when you’re the child of an emotionally immature caretaker.

Photo by Colin Maynard on Unsplash

Parents. Noble and selfless. Kind and warm. That’s the picture that we have painted, but it’s not the reality for millions of children living in the shadow of abusive, eggshell parents.

The reality is that these children live lives in the pale. Screamed at. Belittled. Children of eggshell parents become emotional punching bags before they even know how to walk. It’s a cruel cycle that leaves them responsible for the feelings of an adult who can’t be bothered to be accountable for their pain.

Being raised by an eggshell parent is an experience that leaves children scarred for life. Were you the child of an eggshell parent? More importantly, are you showing the signs of an eggshell parent in the family that you’re building right now?

Who is the eggshell parent? What does eggshell parenting look like?

Eggshell parents are everywhere, at every level of society. Mothers and fathers. Grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, and aunties left to care for the children of the family. Anyone can be an eggshell parent if they make it impossible for the children around them to…