The Rising Beyond Podcast
If you're trying to protect your children while navigating an abusive ex, this podcast is for you. Because leaving the relationship didn't end the abuse, and no one prepared you for what came next.
The Rising Beyond Podcast is for protective mothers navigating the overwhelming reality of sharing children with someone who continues patterns of manipulation, coercive control, or emotional abuse after separation. Join Sybil Cummin, licensed professional counselor, who has spent the last decade helping survivors and their children navigate this incredibly difficult chapter. Every week, we share trauma-informed education, nervous system insights, protective parenting strategies, and honest conversations about family court, post-separation abuse, and healing, so you can feel more confident, more grounded, and better equipped to protect both your children and yourself.
Whether you're in the middle of family court, struggling with parenting alongside someone who continues patterns of control, or simply trying to become the parent you want to be after everything you've survived, you'll find validation, practical guidance, and hope here.
The Rising Beyond Podcast
Ep 190: Parentification After Abuse: When Children Are Asked to Carry Adult Emotions
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What happens when one parent leans on a child emotionally and you are determined not to do the same?
Many protective parents notice it quietly at first.
Their child starts worrying about the other parent.
They feel responsible for adult emotions.
They try to comfort, reassure, or stabilize situations that are far beyond their role.
And when you are isolated, overwhelmed, or under constant pressure, the temptation to lean back can feel very real.
In this episode, Sybil explores why children are so often pulled into adult emotional roles after abuse, separation, or high conflict co parenting and why resisting that pull is one of the most protective parenting choices you can make.
This episode is not about shaming parents who are struggling.
It is about understanding impact, preserving family hierarchy, and keeping children emotionally safe even when the other parent does not.
Links to episodes mentioned:
Parenting to Combat Coercive Control Live Workshop, Feb 18th 2026: https://mailchi.mp/risingbeyondpc/coercive-control
Download the free script guide, Protective Parenting Scripts for Hard Moments: https://mailchi.mp/risingbeyondpc/parentingscripts
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