Past Abuse: Dealing with Childhood Trauma as a Parent

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First published: 3 April 2022 @ 6:00 pm

The effects of past abuse in children, whether it is sexual, emotional, or physical, are very real and very powerful.

We estimate that 90% of children who grow up with family violence become abusers themselves. It is easy to see how this can happen when you look at the example of a parent who received abuse as a child.

Sometimes, a parent will see the same thing happening to their children and may have trouble dealing with their traumatic events appropriately. How do you deal with the effects of your childhood trauma?

Photo by Sven Brandsma on Unsplash.

Signs That You May Be Experiencing Effects of Childhood Abuse

There are different types of abuse. There are sexual, physical, and emotional. But no matter your history of childhood abuse, there are some general signs that you may experience as the effects.

· You may find yourself in situations where you feel helpless to protect your child from others. 

· You may be unable to set boundaries for your child and expect them to “know” what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t. 

· You may avoid situations where people force you to take action against an abuser because it will bring back painful memories from your childhood. 

RELATED: 5 Signs of Mental Illness

· You may find yourself thinking that violence and verbal abuse is normal in relationships and think nothing of abusive behavior towards your spouse or children. 

· You may feel powerless to do anything about the abuse going on around you because it reminds you too much of what happened when you were a child. 

· You may find yourself blaming your child for the abuse that they are experiencing because you were blamed for your abuse as a child. 

· You may feel like you have to be the “perfect” parent to protect your children from abuse. 

· You may feel like you have to protect your children from the very thing that happened to you as a child, which makes it difficult to be an effective parent. 

Click on the next page to learn more about the effects of childhood trauma and dealing with past abuse as a parent!