NT siblings and fair parenting
Aspie1 wrote:
This thread really hits home for me, because I have an NT older sister. While we were both growing up, I always knew that she was my parent's favorite. They denied it, obviously, but the signs were clear beyond all doubts, and I still believe it to this day. For instance, when lunch or dinner time rolled around, my parents would tell her "open the fridge; pick what you're going to eat", while telling me "eat what you're given, and don't complain!", even when me and my sister are both in the same room. During conflicts, my parents always took her side, and I was always the one who got punished, oftentimes quite severely. Even on rare occasions when my parents realized I was right, they simply told my sister to leave me alone, and let her walk away. When she told my parents something about me, they'd take her word for it in an instant, but when I told them something about her, they'd yell at me about not being obedient (their words), and tell me to go to my room. With all that said, some of my favorite toys were the my sister's old childhood toys that she passed on to me, and she was generally nicer to me than my parents were. In other words, she was somewhat better at telling me to behave without putting me down.
I rationalized the whole thing as follows: that my sister was a full member of the family, and I was just an associate member, so my parents could treat me however they wished. In addition, I believed that you get full membership when you become a legal adult. What's horrifying is that I saw all this as perfectly normal, and thought other families are like that too.
I rationalized the whole thing as follows: that my sister was a full member of the family, and I was just an associate member, so my parents could treat me however they wished. In addition, I believed that you get full membership when you become a legal adult. What's horrifying is that I saw all this as perfectly normal, and thought other families are like that too.
I am sorry to read about your childhood. I want very badly for both my kids to feel loved and appreciated. I am trying to meet my ASD child's needs without neglecting my NT child. Thank you for your insight.
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