evile

Are narcissistic people desperate for praise? Reason I ask is mine was making so much fuss as to wether the toast he’d made was tasty.

Absolutely. For all the small thoughtful things you'd do for others automatically without thinking, the narcissist expects a great deal of praise and worship for doing the same or less (plus, in their mind, you now owe them everything from now on, as gratitude for that one favor).

They are emotional toddlers. Think of how, when potty-training a child, the adults have to make such a huge deal about the child using the potty like a big boy/big girl! With gifts and applause and excessive words of praise and gratitude for this normal bodily function that adults just take care of quietly on their own.

While it's good and appropriate to raise and teach a child that way, the narcissist never outgrows that state of childishness, where they expect to be at the center of everyone’s attention, and they want everything they do to be praised as the best, most amazing, wonderful thing anyone has ever seen.

The good thing about infants and children is that they grow up and eventually learn that they are not the center of the universe, learn to self-regulate, and not require 24/7/365 care and attention from everyone around them. The narcissist does not. Think again back to how exhausting it can be to raise a young child. Then think that as long as the narcissist is part of your life, you will be raising that toddler. If that sounds worthwhile to you, please continue. If not, make plans to end the relationship.

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