Comments on: Help For the Emotionally Neglected at Thanksgiving

By: Jonice

Jonice — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 12:53:23 +0000

In reply to Annette. Dear Annette, you don't have to accept your parents or be thankful for them. You feel what you feel. I encourage you to trust your feelings, yourself, and your therapist to honor what you actually do feel.

By: Annette

Annette — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:11:48 +0000

Does it ever get easy to be thankful for what your parents did give you? Right now I’m not in touch with my parents, as I’m working on myself and my therapist suggested it would give me the space I needed. Right now I mainly feel anger towards my parents: they still use guilt and money as ways to control their adult children and the relationship with my siblings is strained, because they don’t want to interfere (which means they also don’t want to validate our shared experience). Does it ever get easier? Right now I don’t see how I can accept my parents as they are.

By: Jonice

Jonice — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:58:03 +0000

In reply to Karen A. Dear Karen, thank you for your message. I'm so happy to be of help to you! Take care.

By: Karen A

Karen A — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 17:25:53 +0000

Dear Jonice,
Thank you so much for this beautifully worded post. I am 56 and have been aware of my CEN for about 2 years now, since I stumbled upon a post of yours. In the past month I just had a heartfelt call with one of my brothers and we finally discussed our childhood after decades of distance. Thank you for all your hard work and congratulations on your book being translated into so many languages!

By: Kristen

Kristen — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 18:52:03 +0000

In reply to Jonice. I am in therapy at the moment :) . Reading articles about my experiences is a supplement to that. When I came across your blog, I was dumbfounded at first. I didn’t want to call my experiences neglect because that has a serious connotation in my head. But what you point out is exactly how I feel. So, thank you for your work and making people like me feel less alone!

By: Jonice

Jonice — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 17:35:49 +0000

In reply to Nan. Thank you, Nan!

By: Jonice

Jonice — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 17:35:29 +0000

In reply to Kristen. "I shouldn’t be wrecked by what a parent did or didn’t sayer this age." Not true, Kristen! The parent/child dynamic is very powerful and ageless. The reality is that we all have to deal with the way our parents treated us, especially if it's painful. I encourage you to talk with a trained therapist about your situation and your feelings about your dad.

By: Nan

Nan — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 16:57:59 +0000

Happy thanksgiving to you. I am thankful for all your knowledge and support.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 16:42:05 +0000

Holy hera, this blog nailed everything I feel and put words to it. My dad has always had emotion blindness when it comes to me. He treats me extremely harshly at times and he never does it with my mom or brother. I’ve tried to figure it out my whole life and come up empty. Even in my 30s, it still happens and I’m super sick of it. I shouldn’t be wrecked by what a parent did or didn’t sayer this age.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 18:33:10 +0000

Thank you so much for these Thanksgiving thoughts and wishes. Hearing such truth and wisdom brightened my day.