No parent is perfect. In some ways, parents can make mistakes that can hurt their children. However, these 5 damaging things that parents do can cause long-term problems for children as well as damage a parent's relationship with their child.
Exposing them to distressing news at a young age
Nowadays, media thrives on sensationalism. Everywhere you look, you'll see distressing news about the wars that are going on, and different types of human tragedy. While kids should know the reality of the world, they should be exposed to these things only when they have enough understanding of what's really happening. It can frighten them and make them feel that the world is not a safe place to be.
Try and avoid such conversations in front of your kids, and monitor their exposure to television, the internet, and media so you can limit their exposure to negativity while they're young.
Fighting with their spouse
Even if you think that your child can't hear you argue with your spouse, chances are that they have some semblance of what's really going on as children are actually more perceptive than you might think. The best way to address issues with you spouse would be to do it calmly, and away from your children.
You can take a drive somewhere to sort things out calmly. Screaming and shouting won't do anyone any good. If your children see you fighting with your spouse often, they might think that it's normal and accepted behaviour, and they might behave that way when they have their own families.
Too busy to have time for their children
Nowadays, parents have to juggle a lot of things to balance their family life as well as their work. However, work shouldn't be an excuse to not have time for your kids. Spending a few hours each day to just be with your kids is more important than finishing that proposal or nailing that deal you've been working on for months. Remember, your kids won't be kids for long; you don't want to miss anything during that stage of their lives.
Insulting their children
You should never insult your children, regardless of how angry you are. Children hang on to each and every word that you tell them, and they'll take it with them until they grow up. If you always tell your children that they're failures and they're bad people, they will grow up like that. Whenever you're disciplining your child, make sure to talk to them calmly and set expectations for their behaviour. Always use positivity when disciplining your child. They'll thank you for it in the future.
Hitting or hurting their children physically
This is one thing that you should never do to your kids. Hurting them physically then you're teaching them that hitting is acceptable behaviour. You can be firm in disciplining your kids without resorting to hitting them. Set boundaries by being kind, gentle, respectful, and firm. Always be calm and understand that children don't always know the consequences of their actions.
