Hypervigilance

The kid in the unpredictable house, where a parent’s mood could turn on a dime through drinking, rage, or plain chaos. The child becomes a forecaster who tracks footsteps, tone of voice, the sound of keys in the door. It’s a genuinely impressive skill. Grown up, the forecaster can’t switch it off: hypervigilant, reading every micro-expression, bracing even when things are calm.