Unlike physical violence, emotional abuse does not leave kids with a visible scar. Often, it gets impossible to detect that there is something wrong with children’s behavioral responses. Sometimes, kids can show a perfectly happy face while hiding sorrows and pain. Unfortunately, emotional abuse can have life-long damaging effects, such as weakening the kids’ emotional development and sense of self-worth. As a parent, you must recognize the signs of emotional abuse you might not know you’re giving your kids throughout the lockdown period.
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Showing Random Emotional Outbursts
Understandably, you get stressed with all the uncertainties caused by the pandemic. But if you are a parent that often shows your kids random outbursts, you might want to quit doing that. When you continuously show your kids that you are unable to control your emotions during this time, it makes them realize that their emotional needs are incomparable to yours. They will think that your outbursts are more critical, and they will soon neglect theirs. The kids will be more likely to experience holding on to their emotions until they no longer understand what those are. As a result, children will have difficulties achieving self-composure.
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Always Resorting To Aggression
Like other individuals, you also experience stress and anxiety due to the limitations you need to follow. Sometimes, it causes a different level of pressure where a parent like you resorts into aggression. In a pandemic time like this, the possibility of you shouting and yelling at your children is present. That is even for their small mistakes. You might view it as a normal life situation, but it does not help anyone in the family, especially the kids. It only creates emotional pressure. If that continues, kids will soon internalize the abuse and might lash out on others. Thus, the children might imitate the harsh treatment and not care if what they are doing hurts others.
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Lack Of Confidence To A Better Future
As a parent, you have to protect and care for your kids. However, when you are not confident about a better future because you believe that the pandemic is getting worse every day, you might want to reconsider that thought. When you always tell your kids about your frustrations, fear, and cynical hope in the situation, they might adapt to the same thinking. It will make them believe that the world they live right now is nothing but a place that only caters to an unsafe environment. If you continue to put scary information in the children’s heads, they will soon lose all the positivity of wanting things to get better. And soon, the kids will dismiss their feelings and end up emotionally unstable.
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No Safe Space For Children
Some parents who emotionally abuse their kids do not create a safe space and environment that allows their children to cry. In this pandemic context, some parents strongly demand their kids to accept everything that is happening even if the children cannot understand the situation. That is the worst thing that kids will have to endure during this lockdown. When parents are neglecting their kids’ emotional needs, it becomes ten times stressful for them. That is because kids’ will have to force themselves to bottle up their emotions to survive mentally. In the long run, kids who often suppress their emotions will heed towards inadequate coping mechanisms, including drug and alcohol abuse.
So if you are a parent who takes full responsibility in keeping your children safe from the infectious disease, consider securing their emotional well-being. Please do not become the cause of their emotional turmoil, especially when all they can rely on is you. If you need assistance, BetterHelp is a great platform to help you face any complications in life. They are there to help you end the misery you are in.