What happens to the child who’s always told to “be good” while all the attention goes to their sibling? They grow up invisible. They become the Glass Child.

In the third and final episode of our Parentification Series, I talk with TEDx speaker Alicia Meneses Maples, who coined the term glass child, about what it’s really like to be the sibling who carries the burden quietly. We go deep into:

• The crushing pressure of being “the good kid”

• Parents leaning on you like their therapist

• The silence and shame of having no space for your own emotions

• How it all shows up later in toxic relationships and burnout

• And what healing, boundaries, and acceptance actually look like

If you’ve ever felt unseen in your own family, this one will hit home.

📘Download our FREE, sibling e-book: 6 actions to help navigate a sibling’s substance use journey

🤝Join our FREE and PRIVATE sibling-focused community: Siblings For Love of Recovery

📲Connect with FLOR: Instagram and TikTok

🎙Guest speaker: Alicia Meneses Maples

Related content:

• Alicia’s TEDx on recognizing the “Glass Child”

• “The parentified child: Why they’re often the eldest daughter”