In many families in China, children are forced from a young age to take on the role of "emotional caregiver": constantly listening to their mother's grievances, stress, and pain, acting both as a child and a friend in the relationship, and even as a "psychological counselor." Over time, the child internalizes a belief: "My mother's emotions are my responsibility," and thus continuously maintains the relationship by being understanding, accommodating, and suppressing their own needs. When they cannot meet the other person's expectations, they immediately fall into guilt and self-blame. But the problem is, children are fundamentally not equipped to bear adult trauma and emotions. This prolonged emotional overload can easily lead to anxiety, anger, exhaustion, and even develop into substitute trauma; meanwhile, their own needs, emotions, and true selves remain unseen for a long time, damaging attachment relationships and making it difficult to truly establish a sense of stability, safety, and self-identity.

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