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How to Model Emotional Intimacy for Your Children
Emotional intimacy is a term usually reserved for couples. In reality, emotional intimacy is a skill that we learn by observing our parents and by practicing with close friends as we mature. Many parents are careful to withhold any conflicts or even affection from each other in front of their kids. I suppose the reasoning is that somehow children should be insulated from the adult world, free from its worries and problems. To some extent, I agree. After all, children should not be asked to carry the heavy baggage of adulthood. The baggage of childhood is heavy enough. I never understood why we romanticize childhood. It has its own agonies.…
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How to Protect Your Family’s Honor
The idea of family honor is pretty old-fashioned, and in its older forms, even harmful. Family honor in the past consisted of creating a family mask that presented one face to the world while hiding dysfunctions within. But cultivating a culture of honor, real honor is actually crucial for creating a lasting marriage and familial relationships that are fulfilling. Family honor is not about the face presented to the world. Real honor is how well the members of a family treat each other. Honor is the act of valuing a person over things. When someone honks their horn at you rudely in traffic, or cuts in front of you in…
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7 Signs of a Narcissistic Father
I often wish I could erase my daughters’ memories of their narcissistic father. That my ex insisted on being called Daddy has always struck me as ironic because it connotes a closeness that did not exist. My daughters’ grew to dislike the title, Daddy, so much they eventually began to refer to him by his first name as they got older. This was, of course, long after we had left. Even now, they refer to my husband, their step-father, by his name. The synonyms for father leave a bad taste in their mouth. So if you are not sure whether you had a narcissistic father, here are some typical characteristics…
Healing Through Art & Words
