Mothers of special children often come to me for consultation; their requests vary, but one thing remains the same - the codependent relationship between mother and child. Parental codependency most often manifests itself in families with children of preschool and primary school age. But when it comes to families with children with developmental disabilities, age doesn't always matter. In codependent relationships, there is a strong imbalance in care: the parent is overly involved in the child’s life and is ready to do his affairs for him, support him at the slightest stress, thereby creating all the conditions for the child’s infantility and immaturity. A parent often perceives his own child inadequately and is not aware of the style of relationship with him, especially when it comes to disabilities. In addition to the imbalance of care, in such relationships there are problems with boundaries: the parent is inconsistent in his demands, the rules can change every day. In this form of parenting, the parent appears to selflessly love and care for their children, but in reality, the parent may be overly sensitive to the child's moods and create an unhealthy relationship dynamic that can harm their children in the long run. These people become psychologically and emotionally dependent on the child. Codependent parents tend to believe that they are never wrong. They also never apologize or take responsibility for the situation they created, because admitting wrongdoing would undermine their credibility. Also, such parents naively believe that the whole world “owes” them, because we have a child with disabilities, fostering the same opinion in their children. Codependent behavior of parents does not allow the child to freely communicate with his peers and other people, especially if someone offends their child, and blocks any of his attempts to be independent. As a result, the child does not fully adequately perceive natural everyday difficulties, does not know how to cope without outside help, or make the right decisions in the event of a difficult situation. Over time, he turns into an infantile, indecisive, timid, vulnerable, touchy and insecure person. Constant excessive control on the part of parents, restraining the child’s activity exacerbates his tendency to caution, self-restraint and self-preservation. Such a child chooses passive entertainment activities as his favorite activities: watching television programs, playing on the computer and phone, relaxing on the sofa. He does not think about what will happen tomorrow and voices his situational desires. Motives for self-improvement and self-realization are rarely observed in such children. It is important to recognize codependent parenting in a family, as it can leave lasting emotional scars on children and affect their relationships as adults. Codependent people can do better by seeking professional help on how to better manage themselves and not burden their children with responsibility for their well-being. The path from codependency to autonomy is long, but with hard work it pays off.!