The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma} EP 228: Supporting Kids who Live Part Time in a Home without Regulation, Connection, or Felt Safety with guest Sybil Cummin
Jul 1, 2025
In this conversation with Sybil Cummin, a licensed professional counselor specializing in families affected by domestic violence, listeners gain valuable insights into parenting amidst instability. Sybil explains coercive control's impact on both children and parents, emphasizing the need for steady support and a sense of safety. She shares strategies for navigating co-parenting challenges and the importance of emotional attunement. The discussion also highlights the need for safe spaces for parents to heal, fostering healthier connections with their children.
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Co-Parenting Is Often a Misnomer
- Parenting with a coercive control abusive ex challenges the notion of traditional co-parenting.
- "Co-parenting" may be a misleading term when control and manipulation drive the other parent's behavior.
Offer Felt Safety and Consistency
- Show your child the contrast between safe and unsafe homes through unconditional love and consistent care.
- Help them feel safe by offering predictability and accepting their identities without judgment.
Child Behavior Reflects Safety Level
- Children may present differently at each parent's home depending on felt safety.
- Acting compliant at unsafe homes can be a fawning survival response, not true behavior.
