This Woman Explained What It Means To Be A "Glass Child" — AKA Someone Neglected By Their Parents Because Their Sibling Needed More Attention — And Now People Are Having Maaaajor Revelations

Just about everyone who has sat down with a therapist knows a lot of the things we do as adults can be explained by things we experienced as kids.

This idea was recently validated online as people discussed the impact of being a "glass child."

According to Nadia Addesi, a registered social worker and psychotherapist known as @nadiaaddesi on TikTok, a "glass child" is "a child who has a sibling that is in need of extra care and attention from their parents...resulting in them taking up a disproportionate amount of your parents' time and energy."

She further explained that glass children "may feel like their needs aren't being met, or they have to hide their struggles and concerns because they are conditioned to act as if everything is OK."

The concept was brought to light by mental health content creator Melissa Gallagher, whose viral video about glass children gained more than 6 million views on TikTok.

In the video, as the song "Labour" by Paris Paloma plays, she gives examples of things glass children may feel or experience, like "being overlooked and forgotten."

Having to be your "parents' therapist."

Feeling like the family's "maid."

"Hiding struggles."

"Raising yourself."

"Appearing strong, but [you're] really not."

"Taking care of your siblings."

Being a "people-pleaser."

Experiencing "parents taking their stress out on you."

Being left "alone to fix your own problems."

Suffering from "depression and anxiety."

And finally, feeling "pressure to be perfect."

A lot of people could relate in the comments of the video. This person said, "when it comes to needing my family im alone."

This person shared that it feels like their sister with a learning disability "gets praised and acknowledged for the littlest Things."

Another person shared, "my brother is a handful so I understand, that's why I met my one needs, but my dad's making up for it."

And finally, this parent said, "This made me realize my oldest may be a 'glass child' and I wish I knew better back 30 years ago so I could've done better. I will do better now."

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Addesi said when parents have this revelation it is important to admit it and apologize to their children. "Acknowledge it instead of letting it go unnoticed. Let them know that two things can be true at once: Their sibling needs extra support or attention, and you still care about them and want to address their needs."

"I always recommend that parents have a plan with their glass children that works for both of them. Sometimes, this means setting aside 60 minutes at the end of each week to talk about everything...to ensure they are still involved in their life. Sometimes, it means ending each night with a five-minute conversation."

"An apology provides trust that the parent understands what is happening and is willing to change. [It] provides open communication with both the parent and the child to encourage both of them to continue working through their struggles," she said. "To be validated is to be heard and seen, and every child needs that."

Addesi emphasized that identifying as a "glass child" is not a diagnosis, but it's never too late for adults to heal from the things they experienced as children. "What happened to you growing up wasn’t fair, and you didn’t deserve it, but now you have the opportunity to work on these traits that you carry into adulthood and improve your relationship with others and with yourself," she said.

Do you identify as a "glass child," or have you heard of the phrase before? Let us know in the comments.