By growing up in a dysfunctional family many of us did not have the loving parent we desired or deserved. In ACA we realize that we can become our own Loving Parent. Becoming our own Loving Parent is at the core of healing from a neglectful childhood; it is the gateway to our Inner Child.

Many adult children have never considered the idea of reparenting ourselves, but with help and support, we can do so with gentleness, humor, love and respect. We are not alone as we reparent ourselves in ACA. Through recovery, we use reparenting to connect with ourselves and others in a healthy manner. We pause and notice how we do things like minimizing ourselves without realizing it. With this awareness we can  reframe our mistakes as chances to learn and grow emotionally.

Our own Loving Parent reminds us that we will not recover overnight as it takes time; that by doing the reparenting work in ACA, we are good enough and making progress.

Resources:

• Loving Parent Guidebook: https://shop.adultchildren.org/products/loving-parent-guidebook
• Fellowship Text: “The Solution: Becoming Your Own Loving Parent”, BRB pp. 295-329, guides us to our own identity that is different from the role we learned in our family’s dysfunctional dynamic.