One of the greatest gifts you can give your children isn't a perfect childhood full of toys, parties, trips etc...it's doing your own healing! Our children are not meant to carry our emotional burdens, they are not our therapist. They are not your marriage counselor, they are not your best friend, they are not responsible for making us feel okay... On the contrary, they are here to trigger us, to force us to heal! They need us to be their safe place, not the other way around... and I mean your adult children too! That doesn't mean we can never let our children see us cry or have a hard day. It means we remain the adult, while seeking the support we need from other adults. If you're overwhelmed, get support, find a therapist, join a support group, talk to a trusted friend, find a mentor, ask for help... Children shouldn't have to grow up feeling responsible for their parents emotional well-being for years and years and discover what's been happening when they have their own children... Many adults like myself, begin healing in therapy and, for the first time, realize that some of the dynamics they grew up with weren't as healthy as they believed or looked from the outside world... Healing brought clarity and with clarity comes the opportunity to choose a different path.... That's what breaking cycles really is, not blaming the generation before us, but creating boundaries with the older generation and becoming the generation that says: "It stops with me." Our children deserve to come to us with their worries, dreams, fears, and excitement. They deserve the freedom to simply be children and we deserve support, too... Healing yourself isn't selfish, it's one of the most loving things you can do for the generations that come after you. What is one way you've invested in your own healing, not just for yourself, but for your children? Do you still struggle with having boundaries these days with the older generations? Mafalda Oliveira Anami Roots Birth & Motherhood