 Narcissism is a serious personality disorder that has many damaging effects. It seems like common sense to stay away from those who exhibit excessive selfish behavior, but what of their own parents? Here are 7 subtle signs of narcissistic parenting. 1. They are self-centered and make you join the show too. Everyone is self-cautious and cares to a certain degree what other people think about them. That's human nature. But do you ever wonder why your parents act so differently at home than they are out in public? Even for narcissists, their slips and the mask comes off. Narcissistic parents take pride in flaunting their social status, physical appearance, material possessions and accomplishments. But when they no longer have an audience once they pull up in the driveway, they stop with the nice act that either criticize or talk about others behind their back. 2. You can receive gifts without feeling like their strings attach. Buying presents is supposed to be a self-list deed. It's about celebrating the other person who's receiving the gift, whether it's on their birthday, graduation or just because. So why does it feel like there are consequences when you receive one from a narcissist? The narcissistic parent knows how to guilt-trip you if you don't love or use their gift. And when it comes to buying presents for them, forget having to brainstorm, they usually tell you or demand for what they want to return. 3. When you try to set boundaries, they get offensive. If there's one thing a narcissistic parent loves, it's control. Why? Because treating the child like an equal would mean they aren't superior or above them. If you live with a narcissistic parent, some of these might sound familiar. They go through your room without your permission and throw away some of your possessions. They dictate your extracurricular activities or classes you can take. And they set unrealistic expectations on you without hearing what you have to say first. But when you do stand up for yourself, they get easily hurt or offensive. And use excuses like, it was just spring cleaning, or I'm just doing what's best for you. 4. You feel like you're their puppet more than you are their child. Just up and make-believe is fun as a kid, but narcissistic mothers take that to a whole nother serious level. Lots of narcissistic parents were interviewed by psychologists and one of them said her mom used to love dolling her up in cute dresses even though she was a tomboy by nature. She believed that it boosted her mom's self-worth when she would receive compliments for her parents. And the eyes of a narcissistic parent. The child acts as a medium they can live through. This is how the child's individuality becomes diminished. Replacing it with their own selfish desires. 5. They feel hurt when you don't include them in your decisions. Psychotherapist Daniel Solcal says that a narcissistic parent operates from self-protection and if their ego is bruised or they feel a decision was made they could not control, they become cruel, blaming and offensive. A healthy parent decides how many sweets their child can have after dinner. But a narcissistic parent will want to govern everything. What kind of career you can have, who you can date, and when you can move out. Nothing scares them more than when you start thinking for yourself and no longer need their validation. 6. You feel like you can't make good decisions without them. Narcissistic parenting creates a co-dependent relationship between the parent and child. This can make the child anxious and feel lost without the parent's help. But that's exactly what they want. Often the child will grow feeling confused and invalidated when their thoughts and feelings were ignored. Although going through puberty is already a dizzying experience, the narcissistic parent will make sure to tear down your self-identity too, leaving you feeling more helpless than ever. By doing this, they make you depend on them to feel your own self-worth. 7. They know how to turn the table and play the victim. No matter how reasonable or logical your argument is, the narcissistic parent will find a way to manipulate you and point fingers. Narcissists never take responsibility for their actions and marginalize your needs and feelings. This is how they play mind games with you, but they get off easy because they play the victim card well. Not anymore though, now that you know about these signs, you no longer have to participate in the cruelty. We hope this video was helpful. Do you struggle with narcissistic parents? We also made a video on 6 dangerous effects of narcissistic parenting. Please be sure to check it out. Hey Psych2Go fans, just a short announcement here. 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