This guest article from YourTango was written by Dr. Margaret Paul.

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

Enmeshed parenting describes a style of parenting that can cause problems in your child’s successful development of their own personality, ethics, and values. There are a number of signs and symptoms to look out for to determine if you may be an enmeshed parent:

• Your children’s good or difficult behavior, and successful or unsuccessful achievements, define your worth.
• Your children are the center of your life — your sole purpose in life.
• Your entire focus is on taking care of your children, rather than also taking care of yourself.
• Your happiness or pain is determined solely by your children.
• You are invasive — you need to know everything about what your children think and do.

If you identify with one or more of these symptoms, you might be enmeshed with your children.

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