The close bond that develops between parent and child is well documented as a vital driving force, its legendary power to protect and shield has made history throughout the centuries. You read about parents rescuing their children from burning cars or sinking ships, finding almost superhuman strength to lift many times their body weight, or surviving underwater for impossible periods of time to save their child from drowning, etc. Occasionally this life force warps and becomes harmful to parents, children, and any unfortunate individuals close enough to be affected by the association.

Sometimes dubbed Umbilical Addiction, the most common form of this disorder is in women, the maternal instinct spreading to an obsessive need to suffocate and control, turning the child into an incapable and weaned shadow.

It is possible that this ugly condition appears in male fathers; commonly the focus is on a daughter but it can appear between parents and children. Mothers who develop an obsession with their children tend to side with the son against the father, making it impossible for the father to maintain the usual disciplinary orientation.

Symptoms of obsession start early, when the child is a toddler, or even before the diapers are out. The mother can do her best to ensure that the child is completely dependent, lavishing unnecessary attention and gifts on the child to ensure devotion and loyalty. Detection and control of this behavior is invariably impossible, as all symptoms are mistaken for “spoiling,” an oversimplified and stubborn term that is sometimes applied to a disorder with far less serious implications. The father is overprotective, alienating other supportive influences that might otherwise have been helpful in controlling the situation.

As the child develops, the features of this terrible condition become more apparent. Interference in the control of mothers (or fathers) results in anger, or even aggression towards anyone who tries to intervene in the child’s behavioral difficulties. As the child grows, the first tactics of abuse produce unacceptable acts of rebellion and disobedience, which generally provoke the disapproval of the rest of the family.

The child staggers into adolescence showing alarming behavioral dysfunctions such as stealing, lying, rudeness, and the young adult will always remain very attached to the same parent who causes the damage.

Elaborate lies can be concocted to cover petty crimes, by both parents and children, until finally, when the young adult leaves school and enters the workplace, the offender has become a narcissistic psychopath obsessed with the ego and dangerous. Sometimes the situation has been aggravated over such a long period that it is impossible for the child to function without the approval and support of the parents.

In extreme cases, the dependency of the child combined with the authoritarian control of the parents results in an incestuous relationship, as the child cannot cope with the normal interaction with the opposite sex.

Each time the “child” is confronted by authority, even by the authority of the offending parent, the reaction becomes more intensely antisocial, until finally the individual develops a strong dislike and active antagonism to most social codes. For most of this adult’s youth, excuses have been found for his theft, lying, laziness, and widespread crime. When evidence is presented to this person that such behavior cannot continue, the result can be dangerously aggressive and sometimes vindictive.

These people often show a desire to adopt pets, such as cats and dogs, but are invariably cruel to animals. The possession of such pets gives the person comfort and supplies a need that is the result of having few friends. However, since they cannot face responsibility, they attack the animal when asked to breed it in any way that causes them personal discomfort.

The early childhood of these people is the key to behavioral disorders that manifest later in life. The adult cannot take responsibility or control for any description, and their inability to cope with authority and routine often leads them to become increasingly antisocial. They are often unable to interact with people normally and choose to work in jobs that do not require social skills. An ideal profession for such a person would be driving a truck long distances, or doing headlight maintenance, or working in very noisy environments that impede conversation, professions that require prolonged periods of solitude and little cooperation with colleagues.

Those who have reached adulthood have an ingrained inability to raise their own children. The typical behavior of such a person would be to have children but then treat them badly, and so the cycle continues. Many families tolerate these people because they believe their behavior is merely eccentric; some even imagine them to be colorful in some way, someone to “tolerate” because, after all, we are all different.

The chaos caused within close family circles by such behavior is unimaginably distressing, especially when the father fabricates lies to cover up unacceptable behavior, sometimes at the expense of other family members. Often times, the cycle of deception goes on for years, perhaps even until and after the death of the father. Occasionally, the disorder becomes a more sinister condition when the father, due to death, can no longer provide emotional support.