Emotional abuse from parents to children
When we talk about abuse from parents to children, the quickest thing that comes to mind is the idea of physical abuse, that is, we automatically think of those parents who exercise their superiority and power over their children through aggressive behavior (hitting, yelling, insulting, etc.). But
When we talk about abuse from parents to children, the quickest thing that comes to mind is the idea of physical abuse, that is, we automatically think of those parents who exercise their superiority and power over their children through aggressive behavior (hitting, yelling, insulting, etc.).
But, there is another type of abuse that is much more subtle but not less painful, which is the so-called "emotional abuse from parents to children". And, unfortunately, it happens frequently in many homes. How are parents emotionally abusing their children?Not offering our children emotional support, security, love or care, is also considered a type of abuse. Parents who emotionally abuse their children are also known as "toxic parents."
- They humiliate, despise or ridicule everything that the child does.
- They continually highlight their weaknesses.
- They treat the child with indifference, ignoring or stopping talking to the child for no apparent reason to do so.
- They draw attention to others in order to make them feel embarrassed.
- They continually invalidate their feelings.
- They blame or blame the child
for the feelings of the father or mother ("you have been responsible for your father being angry" or "I am sad because of you", "your mother and I are going to be separated by your fault".).
- emotionally blackmail the child to achieve their goals. - They make frequent use of victimhood to catch the child in their networks ("if you go with your friends you will leave me alone all afternoon").
- Judge or criticize the child's friends frequently.
- They do not support the decisions that the child makes.
- They do not value or recognize the successes that the child is achieving.
- Invade their privacy (they read their diary, they register their things, they tell the child's intimate things to other people, etc.).
The emotional well-being of the child is strongly weakened when his parents, who must be the source from which the child receives protection, affection, affection, approval and recognition, abuse them emotionally.
The following are the most salient consequences that children suffer when their parents emotionally abuse them:
Consequences of emotional abuse from parents to children
- Low self-esteem.
- Negative self-concept.
- Insecurity.
- Difficulty establishing intimate links with people in their environment.
- Difficulty relating to other children.
- Passive behavior.
- Anxiety.
- Feelings of sadness.
- Behavior problems.
Emotional abuse annuls the child's personality and leads him to feel despised, accused, ignored, watched over and suffocated by the continual demands he receives from his parents.
And, although it is hard to believe, often
parents who emotionally abuse their children are not even aware of the serious consequences
their behavior may have on their child's mental health. Normally they justify their actions due to the bad behavior of the child and even they are the ones who see themselves as mistreated. But, this circumstance does not exempt them from their responsibility. It is necessary for parents to become aware of their behavior and the negative impact it has on the child. Although, on most occasions, parents who emotionally abuse their children have a hard time accepting that it is they who are unintentionally causing emotional harm to their children.
