Living under the scrutiny of the public eye can take a toll on the psyche. It’s one thing for strangers to commentate on your life, but for your own MOTHER to go on TV to speak on personal matters when you’re still grieving is extremely TOXIC. Vanessa Bryant’s mom is manipulative

I’ve had family members ask me for $$ at my grandma’s funeral, so I grasp how toxic family can be.

Self-entitled, victim-mentality, manipulative… No one should ever guilt you into giving them anything you’re not comfortable w/ or take advantage of you during a vulnerable time.

Family dynamics are nuanced and complex. Parents aren’t always the benevolent caregivers that we hope them to be.

Sometimes we learn the concept of distrust & betrayal from the homes we grew up in, yet because they’re “family” we are expected to tolerate their dysfunction.

Toxic caregivers look like;

- physical/emotional abuse because you “misbehaved.”
- shaming/blaming, magnifying mishaps using words of permanence like “you always” or “you never.”
- exploiting private matters to public, even strangers
- guilt tripping you
- passive aggression

(cont.) Toxic caregivers look like;

- using their authoritative position to gaslight you. (example: making promises, breaking them, then saying they never made that promise)
- marginalizing you against siblings, playing favorites or comparing you to them.

- stonewalling; giving you the silent treatment
- scapegoating; if they do something wrong they blame another family member or circumstances

These are just a few of a myriad of examples of toxic behaviors in family dynamics. These behaviors carry on well into adulthood.