24/07/2026
Did you grow up feeling like you had to be the “strong one”?
Some children learn very early to comfort their parents, manage conflict, hide their own emotions, or take responsibility for keeping the family together.
This experience is known as parentification.
From a Family Constellation perspective, healing begins when we recognise the natural order of the family.
Parents are “big,” and children are “small.”
This does not mean parents are perfect or children are less important.
It means life flows from parent to child.
Parents give.
Children receive.
When children take on the emotional role of caring for their parents, they may grow into adults who feel responsible for everyone, struggle to ask for help, and find it difficult to prioritise their own needs.
Returning your parents to their rightful place does not mean accepting abuse, denying your pain, or remaining in unhealthy relationships. It means recognising what belongs to them and what belongs to you.
It is about understanding the roles we learned, compassionately releasing what was never ours to carry, and allowing ourselves to receive the care, support and love we may have missed.
Sometimes, the most respectful thing we can do is return each person to their rightful place.
