Reparenting

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The practice of cultivating a nurturing relationship with oneself to fulfill unmet emotional needs originally addressed by caregivers
2. A method by which individuals learn to provide themselves with the care, guidance, and support that was lacking in their upbringing
3. The process of developing a self-supportive relationship that addresses emotional deficiencies stemming from one's early caregivers is known as this practice

Etymology: "Reparenting" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning again or anew, attached to "parenting", the activity of raising a child. Its literal sense is parenting again, and in its current use the "again" applies to the self. The person doing the reparenting takes on the nurturing role toward their own inner child, supplying the guidance and reassurance missing from their early years. The term thus describes a shift in who receives the care rather than in who gives it. The parent becomes the adult self, and the child being raised is the same person as an earlier version of that self. The construction also makes clear that the idea depends on a prior notion of parenting as a set of supportive behaviours that can be learned and then directed inward.