Why do some parents abuse their children? This is a question most people ask, often with some irritation. And yet, it is a question that some will struggle over for several years.
There are various reasons why children are abused. The most common reason that child abuse is committed against children is sexual abuse. Many children are sexually abused at the hands of their own parents and other adults. Sexual abuse includes rape, sexual assault, forcing a child to engage in sexual activity, or fondling.
Sexual abuse
Why do some parents abuse their children sexually? Perhaps they grew up in a household where there was no understanding about sex, and they were forced to participate in sexual abuse upon their request. Perhaps they were sexually abused as a child and remained angry/ traumatized over it. Maybe a parent sexually abuses children because they have been repeatedly sexually abused as a child too. Perhaps, some parents abuse children out of anger/ revenge – out of jealousy, or out of envy.
What is child abuse and what is maltreatment?
Child abuse can encompass any action that results in physical injury to a child, such as being hit by a car or strangled to death. It can also include verbal and mental abuse. However, child abuse and maltreatment are significantly different from each other. Adults should read research papers on child maltreatment and also warn their children about it in order to notice the problem in time. Child abuse, in general, is physical violence; whereas, maltreatment, generally, is not.
Why do some parents abuse their children sexually?
Well, this is one of the most common questions I receive from clients. This type of abuse, however, doesn’t always result in death. Oftentimes, it does, however, result in severe mental health consequences, including anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, and even chronic feelings of sadness/depression/anxiety. It may seem harmless to some people when they are children. However, it can turn into something much more serious than that over time.
Children are able to recognize when someone is hurting them. They also tend to have an instinctual understanding of physical harm and its effects. When a child has been sexually mistreated, he/she may feel that someone who is in power is trying to harm them. He/she will most likely feel that the same thing will happen when they get in an accident or if they are in the care of somebody who has exhibited abusive behaviors toward them.
If your children are continually abused, you may become aware of what is going on through behavioral changes, possible personality changes due to stress, and changes in school performance. When children are abused, they tend to be victims of another form of child abuse-torture and/or neglect. It is important to know and understand that child abuse and neglect are different than just physical abuse.
Child abuse and neglect result in broken bones, severe burns, scarring, permanent medical problems, and broken relationships with peers or family members. It can also lead to life-altering drug or alcohol abuse as well as other types of behavior problems down the road. The negative effects of being physically and psychologically abused are many. Why do some parents abuse their children? There are many reasons why a parent would abuse his/her child, but it’s important to understand the difference between abusive behavior and the loving, supportive, responsible behavior that all loving parents exhibit.
Most often, abusive behavior towards children is a result of the failure of a parent to provide a loving environment. One of the most common reasons that a parent would abuse a child is because the parent feels that the child does not need any better attention than they are getting from them. This is typically called emotional neglect. Emotional neglect can cause a child to become depressed and to develop psychological problems like learning disorders, substance abuse, and anxiety. As a result of being psychologically devastated by their parent’s lack of support, children are more likely to turn to self-harm or suicide.
Another reason why parents abuse their children may feel like they have nowhere else to turn. For example, children who experience physical or sexual abuse may feel that they have nowhere else to go. They may feel that their bodies are either belong to them or to a man/woman who has power over them, and they may feel that their only way to get help is to hurt themselves or others in an effort to get attention. Children who have experienced sexual or physical abuse may feel that they are a burden to their family, and thus, will abuse their bodies in order to get the attention that they feel they are entitled to from their family.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the excuses that children use as a means to get attention. Abusive behavior is often a symptom of other problems in a child’s life that may be beyond his or her control. If a parent is causing their child abuse, then they need to take responsibility for that behavior. If a child was maltreated by their own parents, then they should be able to speak for themselves and put together an abuse story that describes the events that led up to the abuse. Children who have been sexually or physically abused can certainly make valid, understandable excuses for their behavior – and these should be given careful consideration by all people involved.
