Phrasal verbs -Parentification

What is Parentification?

In most families, children and parents have clearly defined roles: The child focuses on growth and development, and the parent cares for the child. However, some adults lack the stability and inner resources to be this kind of parent. Instead, they may rely on their children in inappropriate ways.
Parentification occurs when a child is forced to take on the role of an adult. In other words, parents look to their own children for emotional and/or practical support, rather than providing it. For example, the children may get pushed into the role of caretaker for their younger siblings or become the referee in their parents’ arguments.
When caregivers aren’t able to show up for themselves fully, children get put into developmentally inappropriate situations. As a result, parentified children are forced to take on adult responsibilities. Children may be put in charge of practical duties like paying bills, cooking dinner and looking after living things, such as plants or pets and, ultimately, even children in the same family. They may be tasked with waking up younger siblings, getting them ready for school and then picking them up at the end of the day. In a lot of cases, they receive no acknowledgment or support for taking on these responsibilities.
Parentified children can often come across as precocious, mature and capable – and they are, but they are also missing out on valuable parts of their childhood in the process. Consequently, this role reversal disrupts the natural process of maturing. The children in these situations are forced to give their childhoods up early and to grow up too quickly. Therefore, in most cases, parentification has far-reaching negative effects on the child’s mental health.

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