Have you ever said or been told, "Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about?" Or have you ever sent your child to their room for throwing a fit, having a meltdown, or being out of control?
These kinds of questions are familiar to so many of us, on one end or the other-we either heard them as children or we've said them ourselves, having no other tools to reach for when faced with frustration. But buried emotions stay in the body and will resurface at some point down the road. They can be a factor in stress, anxiety, depression, lowered immune function, chronic illness, digestive, sleep, and blood pressure issues, among other physical, mental, and emotional problems. Teaching our children the skill of being in control of their emotions, expressing them appropriately instead of repressing them, and the skill of handling conflict, gives them a greater chance at success, overall.
It's not just narcissistic or abusive parents whose children end up with unaddressed trauma. Trauma can be caused by seemingly insignificant events or even inadvertently, by parenting habits we believe are caring and loving. Abuse Proofing Your Kids takes a look at the common parenting practices we tend to see as normal or even helpful, that may be setting our kids up to attract toxic people into their lives. With simple changes to parenting approaches, we can set our kids up for success in their romantic relationships and friendships alike.