knock this crap off.
I saw this wonderful story on my yahoo headlines. Child abuse spikes as U.S. economy flounders.
My goodness people!! Life right now is tough for a lot of people. Jobs are scarce, money gets tighter every day, hopelessness abounds. I understand the stress of that. The worry of 'Will I be able to provide for my family this week?'. No longer do we take our 401k for granted as we watched half of it disappear. No longer does the adjustable rate mortgage sound like a good idea. Life has changed. That is no reason to take out a fear or frustration on the children. They are our future. They are the reason we fight to get our economy back. They are the reason we work where ever we can even if it sucks or is below us. You can bet your butt I would be working in fast food if needed. Please remember there is hope always. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is always and end to the rough patches in our life!
Children pick up on stress. They are used to watching Mom and Dad for changes in expression, for subtle cues of appreciation or disapproval.
ReplyDeleteWhen stress hits the house, the kids pick up on it right away - the parents are distracted, talk in incomplete sentences, have things they won't explain. And they scare the bejeesus out of the kids.
Many parents today are untrained. They teach themselves parenting as they go. And a sudden change in the kids (reacting to the parent's stress reactions) behavior is just one more thing that the parents cannot understand or make it right or deal with it constructively.
Parents with good communication skills and good relationships with their kids can often explain what is happening - and avoid afflicting their children with more burden than is appropriate. But most parents are truly and seriously unable to manage parenting to a distressed kid.
In many cases the reported abuse happens because the already-present kinds of abuse - disrespect, humiliation, verbal abuse - boils over into rage and injuries.
I don't like it. I think the best way to reduce such incidents is to stay connected with friends and neighbors. Instead houses where abuse happens usually isolate themselves or their victims. Visit a neighbor, stay in touch with friends - you may prevent an injury.