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Parental Abuse

Parental Abuse

No parent wants to admit their three year old gave them a black eye, a broken nose, or a black and blue bruise the size of a half dollar, yet it happens – more often than you think. Parental abuse is real and, regardless of the child’s age, it can indicate a potentially serious psychological and/or medical problem. The internet is full of differing opinions on why children hit, ranging from parents who hit have children who hit, to chemical unbalance, and poor diet.

For many, spotting danger signals in a child can be difficult, however, mood swings, low self-esteem, destroying toys, hurting animals, sibling brutality, and isolation are a few which can be easily spotted by a parent or guardian. Attempting to resolve these issues on your own can result in intensified outbursts, anger, cruelty, fighting, and bullying in the home, in school, and on the playground, a precarious situation for your child and anyone who comes in contact with your child.

Unchecked parental abuse has been linked to short term and lifelong emotional problems. In cases like this “knowledge is golden” – for the parent and for the child. Emotional, physical, and verbal abuse in adolescents and teens can be dangerous. The best, most attentive, most loving parents in the most prestigious neighborhoods can experience pushing, shoving, and name calling. Aggressive, misbehaved children live in large cities, in small towns, on country roads, and in gated communities. Having an abusive child does not make you a bad parent, although parenting styles and home environments can affect a child’s behavior.

Improving Lives Counseling Services is here to help. Although parental abuse isn’t often discussed, it exists and is becoming common. Why? Parents, siblings, neighbors, and educators are speaking up. Emergency room doctors are reporting the abuse and the stigma around psychiatric preventive medicine is fading. Parental abuse is a form of domestic violence and displays many of the same characteristics; loss of income, loss of property, physical harm, depression, self-denial, low self-esteem in the abused and in the abuser, and in some cases death.

Video games, music, movies, television, drugs, alcohol, gangs, cults, and single parent households have been blamed for misbehaved, overly aggressive teens. Economics, the unemployment rate, social diversity, separatism, and changes in the “rights of a child” are also blamed – and might be true, however until your child is diagnosed by a trained counselor or therapist you don’t know the root cause or the possible psychological or medical condition affecting your child.

Preventive interactive medicine is available, affordable, and easily obtained. Our professionally trained and experienced therapists can provide individual, family, or group services geared to meet your specific needs. “Sometimes life hands us problems we cannot work through on our own”; parental abuse is one of these problems. Don’t hesitate – stop the abuse; protect yourself and your child. Contact Improving Lives Counseling Services today.

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