13/10/2025
“Playing along” protects them - but it hurts you.
Children of emotionally immature parents are often trained to keep up the perfect family façade.
To smile for the photos.
To pretend everything’s fine.
To smooth things over when tension rises.
It’s a survival strategy - one that kept you safe as a child.
But as an adult, that same pattern can quietly destroy your peace. You might find yourself overcompensating, avoiding conflict, or minimising painful truths just to keep the illusion of harmony alive.
But here’s the thing: pretending everything is fine doesn’t make it fine.
It just keeps the dysfunction unchallenged - and keeps you disconnected from your own truth.
Healing means letting the mask drop.
It means tolerating the discomfort of honesty, and realising that your role was never to protect others from the consequences of their own behaviour.
