How Your Emotional Well-Being Impacts Your Child
One of the goals of upbringing is to raise a physically and emotionally healthy child. This is possible only if the parents themselves are mentally and emotionally healthy.
There is such a concept as "rising to the level of the child." It implies that not only knowledge and willingness are needed. But also a certain intellectual and emotional level: to understand, support, reassure, and explain.
Atmosphere in the Family
There are many studies that prove the fact that the child's mood depends on the mood of the parents. Remember yourself in childhood: you probably knew with what mood your parents open the door? It was only worth hearing how they put the key in the lock.
Children need acceptance, love, and security, so they are very sensitive to verbal and nonverbal cues.
Can Parents Get Angry?
There are many things that can cause anger. However, anger should be expressed in an environmentally friendly way: you can talk and show. But do not use violence, bullying, or ignoring.
It is normal to feel anger, to show aggressive behavior is immoral and illegal.
There is a certain classification of toxic parents:
- Emotional
- Aggressive
- Cold
- Emotionally immature
- Dismissive
- Narcissistic
- Controlling
- Unreliable
Yes, parents are like all people who can make mistakes, but these mistakes should not be fatal.
Parents should be able to apologize to the child if their behavior was unworthy. The child has the right not to forgive. Everyone has this right.
Building trusting communication is a process that starts from birth.
The child's needs change, the boundaries expand. Parents should be sensitive to these processes. Give the child acceptance, love, security, and space for growing up.
Do not involve the child in resolving your own conflicts, pull them over to your side, make the child a friend or girlfriend to whom you tell everything. After all, this blurs the lines and can violate boundaries.
Are We All Traumatized?
Children who experience constant stress can have negative consequences for health, social adaptation, and cognitive development. Some studies show that stress in childhood can affect brain development, in areas related to managing stress and emotional experiences.
Trauma is an event or situation that affects significant parts of life or personality as a whole. Therefore, we have all experienced stress, but we are not all traumatized. Childhood is a period of learning about the world and oneself in it. It is full of great hopes, failures, victories, joys, sorrows, and anger. Life often does not meet our needs. There are also many needs in childhood that cannot be met.
However, a child should never feel a lack of support, trust, acceptance, and love from their parents.
Conclusion
Upbringing is a journey, not a destination. There will be ups and downs along the way, but with love, patience, and understanding, you can help your child grow into a healthy and happy adult.
Additional Tips for Parents
- Take care of yourself. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly.
- Find a support system. Talk to your spouse, friends, family, or a therapist about the challenges of parenting.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are many resources available to parents, including parenting classes, support groups, and hotlines.
Remember, you are not alone. There are millions of parents who are facing the same challenges as you. With hard work and dedication, you can create a loving and supportive home for your child.