Navigating Complicated Relationships with Our Parents

Today on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen dig into the topic of complicated relationships with our parents/caregivers. They start the episode off with a hilarious story about Emmalee's version of a "lovie" when she was young. Hint: it was not a blanket or a stuffed animal. They then define the term enmeshment as it relates to our family of origin, talk about the difference between a close knit family and an enmeshed family, and touch on the (sometimes maladaptive) patterns that get passed down from generation to generation. Emmalee and Jen answer listener questions about emotionally immature parents, being a parent's "therapist" or confidant, accepting who our parents are & the grief that can come with that, setting and shifting boundaries as our familial relationships evolve, the guilt and other uncomfortable emotions that can arise when setting boundaries with parents, and so much more! The episode wraps with a Dear Em & Jen question about the complicated relationship that can develop with a parent after the other parent has passed. Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! Get Matched With One of Our Therapists! ShrinkChicks on Instagram Our new Know Yourself Grow Yourself Journal!! SHRINKCHICKS MERCH Check out ShrinkChicks on YouTube by subscribing here! https://youtube.com/channel/UCrxuhDqoL4ML3UE8b2J2BBg A special thank you to this week's sponsors for supporting ShrinkChicks! We have these exclusive offers for our listeners: The Farmer's Dog: Get 50% off your first box of fresh, healthy food plus free shipping at thefarmersdog.com/shrinkchicks ! Athletic Greens: Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/SHRINK ! Athena Club: go to athenaclub.com and use promo code SHRINKCHICKS today and you’ll get 25% off your first order!  Miracle Sheets: Go to trymiracle.com/shrinkchicks and use the code SHRINKCHICKS to claim your free 3 piece towel set and save over 40% off!  Shopify: Take your business to the next level by signing up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/shrinkchicks