On the surface, Dominic Fike’s rise reads like a modern myth: SoundCloud uploads recorded while on house arrest, a multimillion-dollar record deal, global tours, and a breakout role on the show Euphoria. Behind the success is a childhood shaped by addiction, violence, and incarceration. His early life required him to grow up fast while adults unraveled around him, a story more common than we admit. Many people with similar histories will recognize themselves in this trajectory, whether or not they ever stood on a stage or held a microphone.

1) You learned to parent yourself because adults could not.

Fike grew up in Naples, Florida, the son of a mother who was in and out of jail and a father who was mostly absent. Without stable parental figures, he took on adult responsibilities long before he was developmentally ready. In interviews, he has spoken about his younger siblings relying on him and having to care for them simply because someone had to. Responsibility and independence like this are often praised as maturity, yet in reality, it is a childhood traded in for survival.

Parentification refers to this reversal of roles, where a child becomes the emotional or practical caretaker for their family. Parentified children are frequently labeled capable or strong, but that competence comes at the cost of emotional safety and developmental progression. Many adults who grew up like this struggle to identify their own needs because they learned that their value came from meeting the needs of others. Later, it can feel easier to care for others than to receive care themselves.

2) You learned that love and danger could coexist.

Children who grow up in unpredictable or volatile environments often learn to associate love with

© Psychology Today