If you’ve been raised in a toxic environment, these toxic parents quotes likely describe emotions and situations that are familiar to you. Reading them is going to be hard but so was your childhood. Either way, growing up with toxic parents has a life-long impact on children.
As a child, you find it hard to even understand what you’ve done wrong. This behavior usually leaves you confused and unable to comprehend the whole situation.
Every once in a while, you hear your toxic parents uttering nonsense and devaluing you. In the beginning, you as a child aren’t really aware of the fact of what’s going on.
Unfortunately, if somebody asked you about it, you wouldn’t know what to say. It’s one more normal day in your childhood. Since you were raised that way, you don’t see anything wrong with it.
You can’t decide that something’s not right for you when you haven’t even been given a chance to experience normal, loving parenting without their toxic behavior.
But not all of us are lucky to escape this saddening truth. Kids who had the misfortune of experiencing a toxic relationship with their parents know just how bad it can get.
Not many grown-ups nowadays recognize that some of their problems they have now started way back in their childhood. All of the major issues they’re dealing with as adults have their roots buried deep.
If only they could’ve somehow recognized it way sooner and got out of that toxic household. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes getting hurt in order to grow stronger. Still, you never expect to receive the type of tough parental love more than you need it.
If you know what I’m talking about then these toxic parents quotes might ring a bell. Reading them won’t be easy but at least you’ll know that you’re not alone. Unfortunately, many children have been brought up by parents who didn’t know better than to hurt them.
Eye-opening toxic parents quotes
1. “Control, manipulation, and possessiveness is the name of their game.” – Unknown
2. “People tend to raise the child inside of them rather than the child in front of them.” – Joe Newman
3. “Sometimes, using no contact is the best way to be safe from abusive parents.” – Unknown
4. “Being in a family where you were neglected sucks, but that shouldn’t define you.” – Unknown
5. “As long as you continue to react so strongly to them, you give them the power to upset you, which allows them to control you.” – Susan Forward
6. “Controllers, abusers and manipulative people don’t question themselves. They don’t ask themselves if the problem is them. They always say the problem is someone else.” – Darlene Ouimet
7. “A child’s shoulders were not built to bear the weight of their parent’s choices.” – Toby Mac
8. “Controlling parents will always assume their children are the property they can possess.” – Unknown
9. “They will make you second guess yourself by stripping away your self-worth and self-esteem.” – Unknown
10. “You can always leave your childhood trauma your abusive mom or dad behind. Never be a victim.” – Unknown
11. “Manipulation and control are favorite weapons abusive dads often use on their children for control.” – Unknown
12. “Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it’s the place we find the deepest heartache.” – Iyanla Vanzant
13. “It’s no use to argue with parents who always think they are right all the time and you are always wrong.” – Unknown
14. “A child should never feel as if they need to earn a mother’s love.” – Sherrie Campbell
15. “You’ve been lied to so many times that you know who not to trust. That’s not trust issues; that’s lessons learned.” – Unknown
16. “Whether it’s a parent, sibling, friend, or family member, do not allow a destructive person to drag you down a hole for the rest of your life.” – Unknown
Toxic parents quotes that give the support you need
It’s never easy addressing the issue. It’s even harder accepting the truth. But once you come to terms with it, the sooner you’re able to heal. The sooner the process starts, the sooner it will end.
Some of these toxic parents quotes can conjure up all sorts of emotions. They can be moving yet upsetting at the same time.
In most of them, you can find a piece of yourself you lost a long time ago. Don’t shy away from relating to these, though – only true warriors accept their past.
Don’t be afraid of reminiscing and try to run away from the past. It can teach you a lot about the person you’ve become today and the person you’re going to be.
Toxic parents are every kid’s worst nightmare, even if they aren’t aware of it at such a young age. But somehow, you can wriggle your way out of it and try to make the most out of the experience.
Let these toxic parents quotes help you overcome some of the obstacles that have kept you behind those walls all these years.
17. “Toxic parents care more about how you make them look than how you actually feel.” – Unknown
18. “Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must conform to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents. ” –Susan Forward
19. “An unpredictable parent is a fearsome god in the eyes of a child.” – Susan Forward
20. “It is critical to maintain boundaries between adult problems and children. Please protect your children’s innocence and allow them to remain children. They must not be burdened by adult problems. Kids don’t have the coping skills or the intellectual ability to understand money worries, adult relationship issues, or their parent’s unhappiness.” – Unknown
21. “Toxic parenting leaves scars. Every child deserves good parenting. It is a parental responsibility, not a privilege.” – TCMD
Toxic parents quotes for those who need it
22. “Anyone can have a child and call themselves ‘a parent.’ A real parent is someone who puts that child above their own selfish needs and wants.” – Unkown
23. “People can forgive toxic parents, but they should do it at the conclusion – not at the beginning – of their emotional housecleaning. People need to get angry about what happened to them. They need to grieve over the fact that they never had the parental love they yearned for. They need to stop diminishing or discounting the damage that was done to them.” – Unkown
24. “In troubled families, abuse and neglect are permitted. It’s talking about them that is forbidden.” – Marcia Sirota
25. “Many toxic parents compare one sibling unfavorably with another to make the target child feel that he’s not doing enough to gain parental affection. This motivates the child to do whatever the parents want in order to regain their favor. This divide-and-conquer technique is often unleashed against children who become a little too independent, threatening the balance of the family system.” – Susan Forward
26. “A lot of parents will do anything for their kids except let them be themselves.” – Banksy
27. “The more dysfunctional, the more some family members seek to control the behavior of others.” – David Walton Earle
28. “Sometimes you need to give up on people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.” – Unknown
29. “Your toxic parents may charm the pants off perfect strangers, your friends, and more distant relatives. All of which just appears to make you out the bad guy.” – The Bright Hill Lanterns
30. “Children shouldn’t have to sacrifice so that you can have the life you want. You make sacrifices so your children can have the life that they deserve.” – Unknown
Heart-wrenching toxic parents quotes
31. “Recognizing a problem and seeking help is a sign not only of health but of courage.” – Susan Forward
32. “It has been my observation that parents kill more dreams than anybody.” – Spike Lee
33. “You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served.” – Nina Simone
34. “A narcissistic parent will provoke an independent child to anger in order to feel superior and prove the child’s flaws.” – Shannon Thomas
35. “You don’t have to repeat the trauma of your childhood. Use the pain your mother inflicted on you to motivate you to find a better way to raise your own children.” – Unknown
36. “You don’t have to carry on the legacy of their abuse and the hurt it caused you.” – Unknown
37. “You can’t change the toxic behavior of your toxic parents, but you can decide how you respond.” – Unknown
38. “No matter what you’ve suffered, the abuse was not your fault. Not as an innocent child, teenager, nor as an adult.” – Dana Arcuri
39. “Trust is like the runt of our emotional litter; under harsh conditions, it’s usually the first to die.” – Susan Forward
40. “All of us develop our expectations about how people will treat us based on our relationships with our parents.” – Susan Forward
41. “Toxic people condition you to believe the problem isn’t the abuse itself, but instead your reactions to their abuse.” – Unknown
42. “Many children of toxic parents find it exceptionally difficult to identify who they are once they grow up.” – JR Thorpe
43. “Toxic parenting leaves scars. Every child deserves good parenting. It is a parental responsibility, not a privilege.” – TCMD
44. “A narcissist parent is easily frustrated by a healthy independent child that they can’t control through parental emotional manipulation.” – Shannon Thomas
45. “The toxic parent sees the child as a threat to their own ego and having the child overshadow the parent is not an option in their mind.” – Shannon Thomas
Quotes to help you stay strong and carry on
46. “The hateful and stinging words of a narcissistic parent can linger in the mind of an adult child long after the adult has left home.” – Shannon Thomas
47. “The toxicity that comes from them is often the result of their own unmet needs, insecurities they have which they project on their children to find solace.” – Unknown
48. “Getting angry when something about their behavior is challenged in the nicest way, is a typical reaction of a narcissistic parent.” – Diana Macey
49. “Leave your pride, ego, and narcissism somewhere else. Reactions from those parts of you will reinforce your children’s most primitive fears.” – Henry Cloud
50. “Abusive parents often blame their children for their abusive and immature behavior as a way of covering their tracks so that they don’t look bad.” – Unknown
51. “In the narcissistic parent’s eyes, they do no wrong nor do they feel they should be held accountable for the bad and wrong things that they have done.” – Unknown
52. “They are not sorry for harming you. So, don’t feel guilty for cutting them off. You have the right to protect yourself from people who are toxic to you – even if they are family members. They already had their chance and showed their true colors, over and over.” – John Mark Green
53. “Narcissist parents do not know their children; they aren’t interested in what they have to say unless it affects them.” – Tina Fuller
54. “If you hold onto hurt and anger with a narcissist, the children will have no normal parent. The narcissistic parent will use them as puppets, lovebomb, and abandon them. You are their only hope.” – Unknown
55. “If your child feels loved, they feel safe. If your child feels loved, they can open up to you.” – Unknown
Toxic parents quotes to help you grow
56. “The toxicity that comes from them is often the result of their own unmet needs, insecurities they have which they project on their children to find solace.” – Unknown
57. “Refuse to inherit dysfunction. Learn new ways of living instead of repeating what you lived through.” – Thema Davis
58. “Sometimes, narcissistic parents are also better loved from a distance to avoid further emotional damage.” – Unknown
59. “Bad parents see no wrong in the way they treat their children.” – Unknown
60. “Selfish people don’t consider how their decisions affect others. Their own convenience is all that matters.” – Unknown
61. “Narcissistic Parent: Doesn’t like it when their children become older and embrace individuality which is a normal development. They feel threatened because you’re escaping their iron-clad grip of control and being an extension of them. Switching from being the golden child to the black sheep initially hurts but this is truly your road to freedom.” – Unknown
62. “Children from toxic families are also likely to be toxic to their future spouse if they don’t break free from the toxic cycle of a toxic family.” – Unknown
63. “If a toxic family contains narcissists in there, it now becomes a ticking time bomb waiting to explode at any moment’s notice.” – Unknown
64. “The ones who say ‘you can’t’ and ‘you won’t’ are probably the ones scared that ‘you will.'” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
Toxic parents quotes to make you realize you’re not alone…
Good moments and difficult times are woven together delicately throughout life. The struggle is made easier when your family is on your side during difficult times. You gain moral support, self-assurance, and comfort from knowing that your family, partner, and friends are rooting for you.
However, you find it extremely difficult to carry on when your relatives desert you in times of difficulty, whether it be financial, emotional, or personal. Realizing you are alone causes you to feel unhappy, dissatisfied, and saddened.
These quotes about lack of family support will undoubtedly help you understand that you are not the only person struggling with this problem.
Remember that you don’t need your dysfunctional and toxic family to define you. As the quotes about toxic parents below demonstrate, you may ultimately decide to separate yourself from toxic abuse.
Never let yourself fall victim to them. Decide to take back your freedom and begin living. Don’t let the previous pain that your toxic mom and dad caused you hold you back.
Here are some more toxic parents quotes to help you realize that it’s not your fault that your family members are the way they are.
65. “Make sure everybody in your ‘boat’ is rowing and not drilling holes when you’re not looking. Know your circle.” – Steve Maraboli
66. “Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as friends and family.” – Unknown
67. “You need to stop doing things for someone when you find out it’s expected rather than appreciated.” – Unknown
68. “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” – Anthony Liccione
69. “Don’t worry about the family that ignores and acts like you don’t matter. Love the ones who are always there for you no matter what.” – Unknown
Quotes to help you mend your wounded heart
70. “Permissiveness is the principle of treating children as if they were adults; and the tactic of making sure they never reach that stage.” – Thomas Szasz
71. “Great parenting happens when you start controlling yourself and stop controlling your child.” – Unknown
72. “You may have come from a dysfunctional home but that doesn’t define you as we are responsible for our own choices.” – Unknown
73. “Nobody plays the parental alienation card quicker than the abusive parent who’s lost control over the survivor’s mind.” – E. S.
74. “Family is supposed to be there for you no matter what comes your way. Shame on the ones who are not; that’s not what family is all about.” – Unknown
75. “A dysfunctional home can be likened to a lion’s den full of ruthless loins waiting to rip you into pieces at any moment’s notice.” – Samuel Zulu
76. “Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel; energies are contagious.” – Rachel Wolchin
77. “Children have empty erasable whiteboards upon which big people write indelibly imprinted messages into their tender subconscious minds.” – David W. Earle
78. “Your first obligation as a parent is not to bring chaos into your kids’ lives.” – Unknown
How can these toxic parents quotes help you out?
You might be reading through these quotes and feel all kinds of unsettled – like a mix of every emotion combined. You’re not even sure if it’s a good thing to continue reading them anymore.
Toxic parenthood is something no one would wish for any child to experience, as it’s among the most common causes of behavioral issues in adulthood.
But how can reading these toxic parents quotes help you out? It feels as if you’re reliving it all and you’re not sure that’s what you need right now.
To be fair, you may not see the benefits of these quotes straight away. Some of them might be hard pills to swallow and perhaps you’re just not ready.
You can relate to most of them and it scares you, yet at the same time, it makes you a bit relieved. You’re having a hard time figuring out just how beneficial these quotes can be for you.
To be honest, everyone heals in their own way and has different coping methods and mechanisms. Therefore, I can’t say for sure if it’s going to assist you or hinder your healing.
But I can encourage you to really grit your teeth and try. It’s now or never. These toxic parents quotes mean no harm but are rather attempts to help you get over the abuse.
Small, innocent children shouldn’t be exposed to these types of behavior, but unfortunately, it happens. Now that you’re an adult, you should take matters into your own hands.
These quotes can help you get over some of your hardest and pain-stricken times. Who knows, they might even open up a whole new world for you.
Wrapping it up
All parents should be aware of this, as well as their children. By understanding it, a lot of families could be saved.
You have individuals in your life who are there to encourage and support you when you need them. And there are also those out there who like bringing you down or hurting you.
When a toxic person like this is also your parent or someone you have to co-parent with, it may be very depressing and difficult. In any event, there are steps you may take to lessen the negative consequences of toxic parenting.
Always remember to extend yourself some grace. Recognizing challenging aspects of your past can be distressing and elicit a range of feelings you might not have anticipated.
And if you feel like you’ve fallen into unhealthy habits yourself, just remember that change takes time. The most crucial factors are your commitment to change and your understanding of the necessity of change for both your own and others’ sakes.
You’ll arrive there. Trust me, you will. When you need assistance, ask for it, and remember you’re not traveling alone. Always keep your head held high.
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