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Relationships in the digital age

Peg Streep

Seeing the Unloving Adoptive Mother More Clearly

Not all mothers are loving, even among those who adopt.

Unloving Mothers and the Battleground of Meals

Our relationship to food, what, how, when, and why we eat beyond hunger is forged in childhood experiences. Looking at ways mothers weaponize food.

Parental Abuse, Siblings, and Dueling Family Narratives

How is it possible for two people who grew up in the same family to have such different memories? Is someone lying? Not necessarily. A look at family narratives reveals why.

Unloved Daughters and the Challenge of Recognizing Cruelty

Normalizing and denying a mother's abusive behavior is a child's first line of defense. But in adulthood, recognition precedes recovery and healing. Giving it a name is hard.

5 Signs of a Mother-Daughter Relationship That Has Turned Toxic

There may be areas of disagreement in healthy mother-adult child relationships, but in unhealthy ones, responses to conflict are often outsized and toxic.

Unloved Daughters and the Problem of People-Pleasing

Sometimes the obstacles that stand in the way of our thriving are a result of the baggage we carried out of childhood. Seeing how that works is a key to significant change.

Why We Need to Stop Normalizing Sibling Rivalry

DId you grow up with a bully down the hall? It's time to take a closer look at verbal abuse between siblings.

Do Parents "Owe" Children a Grandparent, Even a Toxic One?

If you are considering changing the tenor of your relationship to your parents and family of origin, how do you tackle the question of your children's need for family?

5 Ways Unloved Daughters Can Manage Seasonal Sadness

If the holiday season drags you down because your family's fractious or because you've chosen to go no-contact, there are ways to make it easier and, yes, even happy.

Unloved Daughters and the Cycles of Self-Doubt

If you tend to get caught up in cycles of worry when there's a decision to be made or you're under pressure, there are things you can do to extricate yourself.

Unloved Daughters and the Muddle of Maternal Abandonment

A mother's abandonment of her child or children is an event that runs counter to the culture's most cherished myths. Its effects are deep and far-reaching.

Unloved Daughters and the Pain of Maternal Abandonment

What happens when a mother decides that she needs space to find herself or follow her dreams, and her children seem like obstacles?

3 Thinking Patterns That Enable Toxic Relationships

Even when it's clear that an intimate relationship isn't working, our tendency is often to stay. These are the habits of mind that keep us stuck and unhappy.

Unloving Mothers and the Power of Exclusion

Sometimes, it's difficult or impossible to belong to your family of origin because your mother has made it so.

Why Blame-Shifting Is a Form of Verbal Abuse

Not every form of verbal abuse requires a raised voice; in fact, blame-shifting is both subtle and highly manipulative.

When a Controlling Mother Plays the Victim

There are lots of different ways mothers can control their families; one is playing the victim, which can result in the scapegoating of a child or children.

How Our Parents' Marriages Shape Our Relationships

Our psychological development isn't just shaped by our parents' behaviors but how they interact.

Unloved Daughters: Are You on the Run from Relationship?

Some relationships peter out while others go up in flames but if all of your relationships die a quick death, it may be time to take a closer look at why.

How Procrastination Can Reflect Childhood Experience

Is your habit of dragging your feet dragging you down? Here's how to understand and overcome procrastination.

8 Things Not to Say to People Who Are Estranged from a Parent

Family estrangements remain a touchy subject but there's a right and a wrong way to respond to someone who's telling you his or her story. The best response is to just listen.

How Toxic Families Choose a Child to Scapegoat

Scapegoating is different in intent and motivation than playing favorites among children. Here's a close look at this specific type of parental verbal abuse.

5 Accidental Truths Learned by Unloved Daughters

Amid the wreckage of a difficult childhood, there are sometimes nuggets of wisdom that end up being of value.

Healing from Childhood: 5 Exercises to Jumpstart Progress

Some self-help tips to get you out of the winter doldrums and to make spring a season of recovery and rebirth.

Unloved Daughters and the Slow Path to Healing

One of the surprising—and disheartening—things about a toxic childhood is our tendency to normalize it and to deny its effects. The road out is complicated and long.

The Accidental Birders: Saving Our Sanity in a Pandemic

Getting by during stressful times takes a bit of ingenuity but a psychological boost from some feathered friends and devoted birders made it so much easier.

Using Journaling to Mute the Critical Tape in Your Head

Writing can be a powerful tool for dealing with the effects of childhood experiences, as science knows. But it's important that you do it right.

Why Verbal Abuse Can Do So Much Damage

Why is it that the culture often dismisses the damage caused by verbal abuse?

Trying to Manage Your Toxic Family? What You Need to Know

While every dysfunctional family is unique, there are nonetheless broad patterns that can help adult children of toxic parents navigate the course.

Why Relationships Can Be Such a Challenge for Unloved Daughters

What we learn about love in childhood affects the trajectory of our adult relationships. For those whose emotional needs weren't met, the road can be difficult.

Toxic Childhood and the 5 Habits of Mind That Keep You Stuck

Why is it that so many of us have trouble leaving relationships and situations that are no longer working for us or that make us actively unhappy? Here are five reasons.

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