Counsellor John Cowan joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack "parentification" - the role reversal where a child takes on inappropriate levels of responsibility within a family, whether caring for siblings, managing a disabled or unwell parent, or becoming a parent's emotional confidant (sometimes called "spousification").

Cowan warns that while short-term caregiving can build empathy, prolonged parentification - often falling to eldest daughters - can leave adults with a fragile "false self," chronic guilt at receiving help, and anxiety over never being perfect enough. He encourages those affected to recognise the pattern wasn't chosen, deliberately reclaim missed experiences like play and rest, and practise handing responsibilities back to family members rather than automatically stepping in as the fixer.

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