What really causes estrangement between parents and children, and how can you prevent it, especially after divorce?

In this episode of The Moving On Method, host Michelle Dempsey-Multack sits down with psychotherapist and author Whitney Goodman (aka @sitwithwit) to unpack the nuanced emotional dynamics that lead to parent-child estrangement.

From parentification to narcissistic family systems, Michelle and Whitney explore what it takes to be the safe, emotionally attuned parent your child needs, particularly when co-parenting in a high-conflict situation.

What You’ll Learn:

Why estrangement is becoming more openly discussed, and what’s actually driving it

How parentification harms children (even when well-intentioned)

The critical difference between protecting vs. over-sharing with your child

How to build emotional safety and connection during divorce or co-parenting

What “parenting without a roadmap” really means, and how to do it with confidence

Episode Highlights:

Meet the Guest:

Whitney Goodman, LMFT, is a licensed psychotherapist, speaker, and author of Toxic Positivity. Best known for her online presence as @sitwithwit, Whitney helps individuals navigate family estrangement, generational trauma, and emotionally mature parenting through her work at callinghome.co.

Tools, Frameworks, and Concepts Mentioned:

Parenting Without a Roadmap – Whitney’s emotional navigation model for parents without healthy templates

Parentification – A breakdown of the emotional role-reversal between parent and child

Narcissistic Family Systems – Traits and long-term impacts

Emotional Maturity vs. Emotional Oversharing – Why kids need honesty with boundaries

Safe and Stable Parent Model – A guiding principle for high-conflict parenting

Closing Insight:

"Bad parents don’t worry about being bad parents. Conscious ones do."

Being afraid your child will resent you one day is a sign you’re already trying to parent with awareness. But trying isn’t enough; you need tools, insight, and support.

Get Michelle's courses on navigating divorce and co-parenting: https://bit.ly/MDMPodStore

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LINK TO TRANSCRIPT: https://transcripts/moving-on-method-ep257-parentification-estrangement

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