THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED BY ANDREA DIALECT
“Due to the continuous disregard for those who have come before us; and the sheer negligence in revering them with simple gestures such as opening doors, giving up our seats, and lending a hand, as addressing them respectfully at passing and acknowledging their presence with eyes of respect. Our elders, with those ethical codes openly displayed, who were once greatly depended upon to ensure that legislation was enforced and essential services stayed in place. Now find it more rewarding to shun the doors of city hall, likely opting instead to spend the remainder of their precious moments at the table of the bingo hall. What a price we pay.” Andrea Dialect said that!
KIDDIE RAP
Yo… All those unwelcoming looks, that vulgar script and the negative language; the body gives off as a message repels positive human exchange and experience. Know that a sparse vocabulary and/or a combative disposition is a recipe for disaster. Simply put, the blatant disrespect or disregard towards others. Which says that everyone is to be subjected to scrutiny and or every one is a threat ain’t good. This makes for a tiny world for them to live in.
Gazing upon all those little ones out there walking around who are quite young or even those that are being pushed around in strollers. Whom by disposition they’re lookin’ like they’re D-Dog from D-Block because their innocence has been stumped out by perhaps, daddy, mama, the both or some other. When gazing upon those little ones, we glimpse the mug of their parents and sadly, what a sight we see. How will they compete and/or finagle in today’s fast paced world or their tomorrows. If they can’t embrace love, reality, people or more-so themselves; boy are we setting them up!
Continue that game of charades and like them youngins in the 1984 hit movie “Children of the Corn” we’ll be breeding our own Malachis.
I didn’t realize that there had been so many remakes of the film until embarking upon this week’s research. Perhaps once again artist through that lens are trying to tell us something. (Google that!)
CHILD CARE
Children raised in an environment marked by neglect, excessive unpredictability, or abuse may grapple with issues such as low self-confidence, anxiety, depression, and trust issues.
The effects of bad parenting are profound and manyfold. Research shows that the role of parents in shaping the future of their children is undeniably crucial. If the parenting style the adult chooses is detrimental to the child’s development, the child may suffer lifelong implications.
As the primary architects of a child’s early experiences, parents wield immense influence over their children’s development and well-being. In this blog post, we will explore the multifaceted effects of bad parenting and the lasting impact it can have on individuals.
EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF BAD PARENTING
Bad parenting can cast a long shadow over a child’s emotional and psychological well-being. Children raised in an environment marked by neglect, excessive unpredictability, or abuse may grapple with issues such as low self-confidence, anxiety, depression, and trust issues. The emotional scars inflicted during childhood can linger into adulthood, affecting relationships, decision-making, and overall mental health.
We’ll unpack some of these effects of bad parenting here.
Low self-confidence
According to GoodTherapy, “As adults, children raised in authoritarian homes [homes where only the adults’ voices matter and where punishment is often a staple of the child’s existence] are likely to have a great deal of self-discipline, but little self-knowledge and generally poor self-esteem. Since their inner workings were apparently irrelevant to their caregivers, they minimize their inner lives and maximize “shoulds” in their self-talk.”
The child’s self-esteem suffers when they’re always comparing themselves to what they think they “should” be doing to gain the parent’s approval, when in reality, the parent may never give them the approval they’re seeking.
Anxiety and depression
According to the National Library of Medicine, bad parenting skills contribute to anxiety and depression. “Indeed, a large body of evidence suggests that adolescents growing up with critical or harsh parenting are at increased risk for negative outcomes, such as externalizing behaviors, withdrawn behavior, trait anxiety and clinical anxiety, depression symptoms, depersonalization, interpersonal rejection sensitivity, anger, and poor health.”
Other mental health problems
In a large Irish study, we learn that “Hostile parenting involves frequent harsh treatment and discipline and can be physical or psychological. It may, for example, involve shouting at children regularly, routine physical punishment, isolating children when they misbehave, damaging their self-esteem, or punishing children depending on the parent’s mood. The researchers charted children’s mental health symptoms at ages three, five and nine. They studied both internalizing mental health symptoms (such as anxiety and social withdrawal) and externalizing symptoms (such as impulsive and aggressive behavior, and hyperactivity).
About 10% of the children were found to be in a high-risk band for poor mental health. Children who experienced hostile parenting were much more likely to fall into this group.” Additionally, they may also be at higher risk to develop severe mental disorders.
Impaired social skills
The family unit serves as a crucial socialization agent, shaping a child’s understanding of relationships and social norms. Bad parenting can hinder the development of essential social skills, leaving children ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of human interaction. A lack of positive role modeling can lead to challenges in forming and maintaining healthy relationships, both personally and professionally.
Such children may have difficulty in making friends and trusting people, as they find it easier to push people away than to open up.
According to the research, “4 out of 10 kids who lack [secure] bonds may avoid their parents when they are upset or resist their parents if they cause them more distress. Studies suggest that this can make kids more prone to serious behavior problems.”
Further, “…those who experienced critical or rejecting parents who were highly judgmental, achievement-driven, or emotionally abusive often become highly anxious in their adult relationships, are preoccupied with fears of abandonment, or struggle with emotional vulnerability and trusting others in their life (Hyun, 2019).”
Beyond that, “Similarly, adults who experienced punitive parenting as children are at an increased risk for developing an anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style where a person may not know whether to approach or push away those in their life (Kim et al., 2021; Kiviniemi et al., 2020).”
Academic and cognitive impact
Parental involvement is integral to a child’s academic success and cognitive development. When parenting is characterized by indifference or a lack of support, children may struggle academically. The absence of a nurturing environment can impede cognitive growth, hindering a child’s ability to learn, concentrate, and problem-solve effectively. The research shows that the “authoritarian [control-based] parenting style has a negative and significant relationship with educational success and career.”
Self-destructive behaviors
Children raised in an environment of bad parenting–specifically abuse–may resort to self-destructive behaviors as coping mechanisms. Substance abuse, reckless behavior, and delinquency can become outlets for the emotional turmoil resulting from a lack of proper guidance and support, coupled with generalized bad parenting skills. The cycle of self-destructive behavior may persist into adulthood, perpetuating a cycle of dysfunction.
Research shows that “Histories of childhood sexual and physical abuse were highly significant predictors of self-cutting and suicide attempts. During follow-up, the subjects with the most severe histories of separation and neglect and those with past sexual abuse continued being self-destructive. The nature of the trauma and the subjects’ age at the time of the trauma affected the character and the severity of the self-destructive behavior. Cutting was also specifically related to dissociation.”
Intergenerational impact
The effects of bad parenting are not confined to a single generation. Patterns of dysfunction can be perpetuated through generations, creating a cycle that is challenging to break. Without intervention, children of bad parents may struggle to provide a healthy and nurturing environment for their own offspring, perpetuating a cycle of dysfunction.
Research states the following: “While conventional wisdom has long suggested that children living in violent homes may learn to be abusers or victims when they grow up, neglected children and those who are exposed to abuse are more likely to be prosecuted for juvenile delinquency.
“A child who is never allowed to make decisions, and who is constantly criticized, belittled, and who goes through abuse is likely to have low self-esteem. Verbal, emotional, and/or sexual abuse are also known to make children more prone to violent behaviors. Children who are exposed to abuse and violence are more likely to become violent people. They grow up believing that violence is the only way to solve issues.”
The research states this about bad parenting and delinquency: “Children who are rejected by their parents, grow up in homes with considerable conflict, and are inadequately supervised are at greatest risk of becoming delinquents. There appears to be a cumulative effect such that the presence of more than one of these negative family attributes further increases the likelihood of delinquency.”
americanspcc.org (source)
DID YA KNOW THAT…
Summary. “Children of the Corn” is not based on a true story; it is entirely fictional, created by Stephen King. The story may have been inspired by real cults and the violent trends of the 1970s, including the Manson Family and serial killers.
Key facts
- Worldwide over 176 000 homicides occur among youth 15–29 years of age each year, which is 37% of the total number of homicides globally each year.
- Homicide is the third leading cause of death in people aged 15–29 years, and the vast majority of homicides involve male victims.
- For each young person killed, many more sustain injuries requiring hospital treatment.
- When it is not fatal, youth violence has a serious, often lifelong, impact on a person’s physical, psychological and social functioning.
- The majority of youth homicide victims are males, and most perpetrators are males too.
- For every young person killed by violence, more sustain injuries that require hospital treatment. Firearm attacks end more often in fatal injuries than assaults that involve fists, feet, knives and blunt objects.
- Sexual violence also affects a significant proportion of youth. For example, 1 in 8 young people report sexual abuse.
- Physical fighting and bullying are also common among young people. A study of 40 developing countries showed that an average of 42% of boys and 37% of girls were exposed to bullying.
- Youth homicide and non-fatal violence not only contribute greatly to the global burden of premature death, injury and disability, but also have a serious, often lifelong, impact on a person’s psychological and social functioning. This can affect victims’ families, friends and communities. Youth violence increases the costs of health, welfare and criminal justice services; reduces productivity; decreases the value of property. (who.int.com)
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