How Parental Conflicts Affect Children

Growing up I never saw my parents share the same couch, only when we had visitors and you could almost feel my mother’s discomfort from a distance.

I never saw them hug or kiss. Only on my mother’s birthday and this will be forced. I never saw that intimacy and love between my folks, not saying they did not love each other but this has somewhat built me not to care or give much attention to relationships. For what if we are not entirely happy and it’s just an image to please society?

Before I get too personal, today’s post is about how parent’s relationship can affect the well being of a child. There is no such thing as a conflict free relationship but do parents actually sit down and think of how throwing dishes across the room in front of the child could affect them?

Parental conflict is harmful to kids, however, when it is frequent; when it is heated and hostile, involving verbal insults and raised voices; when parents become physically aggressive; when parents withdraw from an argument or give each other the silent treatment; when the conflict seems to threaten the intactness of the family.

Researchers have said “children from high-conflict homes are more likely to have poor interpersonal skills, problem solving abilities and social competence.” Those problems negatively impact their romantic relationships in adolescence and adulthood, as conflicts cause children to “perceive themselves and their social worlds more negatively” and to “have more negative pictures or internal representations of family relationships.” Thus the high-conflict relationship of one couple can produce other negative relationships in the next generation.

Conflict between parents harms kids in part because of a spill over effect. Parents in high-conflict relationships tend to be worse parents, engaging in more criticism, aggression, making threats, shouting, and hitting. Some of the criticism hurts more than they think which is why we have a lot more of children who do not believe in themselves. They are belittled from home.

What happens at home really does affect children’s long-term mental health and development. Sometimes it does not have to be physical but:

  • Name-calling
  • Insults
  • Threats of abandonment (such as threatening to leave the house or divorce)
  • Any form of physical aggression (including throwing things or punching things in anger)
  • Walking out or withdrawing from the argument
  • Capitulation (giving into the other parent when there’s not really a solution)
  • Silent treatment

Children look up to their parents for a number of things including problem solving. It’s also important to think about the message that you’re sending to your kids about loving relationships. If you and your partner treat each other with disrespect, your kids will grow up thinking that it’s OK to do the same and perhaps they’ll believe it’s OK to let others treat them poorly too.

However it is important to always reassure children that arguments happen, you love each other and are a strong family.

You May Also Like

7 Comments

  • Humanity boss
    July 24, 2020 8:51 pm

    Insightful
    Thank you for sharing

    • faithpanashe
      August 12, 2020 9:42 am

      Thanks babe

  • Connie Dia
    July 25, 2020 5:59 pm

    Thanks you this is so true we are constantly at war with each other because of what we were exposed to may we be better parents

  • Iamromunem
    July 27, 2020 12:37 pm

    I can totally relate to this. My parents were fine and living until one day things changed. There was cheating, blame and so much conflict. It’s still very hard for me to trust people especially men and so I prefer being single. It’s not a good attitude and I know I need to overcome it but it isn’t easy.

    • faithpanashe
      August 12, 2020 9:41 am

      So sad to hear this, these are lesson we should take up for our own relationships. Children are innocent beings.

  • supreme outlet
    November 17, 2020 10:59 pm

    I actually wanted to write a comment so as to thank you for all the nice hints you are placing on this website. My time-consuming internet research has now been rewarded with really good know-how to write about with my family. I would assert that most of us readers are quite blessed to live in a superb site with very many lovely people with beneficial ideas. I feel really lucky to have discovered the web site and look forward to so many more fabulous times reading here. Thanks a lot once again for a lot of things.

  • kyrie 4
    November 24, 2020 12:45 am

    Thanks so much for providing individuals with remarkably breathtaking chance to check tips from this blog. It’s always very great and as well , stuffed with amusement for me and my office friends to search your website not less than 3 times weekly to read through the latest secrets you have. And lastly, I’m just at all times astounded considering the eye-popping creative concepts you give. Selected 1 facts in this article are undoubtedly the very best I’ve had.

Leave a Reply

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)