7 signs of bad parenting and how can you fix it?

Introduction:

Are you are a bad parent to your child? Children, who do not have an affectionate childhood, are a victim of bad parenting. There are many such examples which provide harm to the kids. The common signs of bad parenting include the child suffering from low self-esteem, aggressive, anti-social, and hostile behaviour. You can imagine the impact of these issues on your child as he/she grows older.

Your child’s attitude, goals, perspective, and viewpoint depend on what he/she learns from you. What your kids experience or learn at their young age will have an imprint on them. And this learning is directly fueled from ‘you’ the parent and the environment at home.

Therefore, it is important that you focus on your parenting skills and know how to become a better parent. Read on to know about the signs of bad parenting and how to fix them.

What are the signs of bad parenting?

1. Reprimanding the child excessively:

Reprimanding, in other words, means “Scolding” excessively can have a worse effect on your child’s mind. This will make your child hide things from you, and he or she won’t be able to express their feelings comfortably.

The moment when your child starts confiding in others instead of you, it’ll become increasingly difficult for you to influence your child in any positive way. They’ll always be afraid/scared of you and will develop trust issues simply because they’ll feel their parents don’t ‘understand’ them.

2. Disciplining the child in front of everyone:

Yelling, or scolding in front of others is another bad parenting sign. Parents don’t realize that is a wrong method of disciplining a kid. It will have a negative effect on their composure and they’ll feel ashamed. Your kid might become a laughing stock and get bullied by other kids for the same.

3. All advice, no encouragement:

Pieces of advice all the time with no words of encouragement can have a serious impact on your child’s mind. They’ll always feel useless and a loser because your child has never been encouraged by whom he/she looked up to. Next time along with a piece of advice do share positive feedback about the good in them or show empathy to ensure they stay positive about your advice. We have a whole series of videos in WOW Parenting that focuses on how you can communicate effectively with your child. 

4. Withholding affection:

Along with safety, health, social & performance, your child needs you for their emotional well-being as well. Expressing love towards them, giving them a hug, or saying “I love you” often, will make your child feel emotionally connected. Don’t withhold your parental affections.

Why you should hug your child how it impacts your child’s behaviour? Watch the video in our app now!

5. Lack of support:

Your kid needs support especially during his/her stressful times like when the exams are approaching. There’s a lot of performance pressure. In such situations, which arrive multiple times every year, being there for your child can give a boost to their moral support and help them perform with better self-confidence.

6. Overprotective nature:

Being protective is good but overprotecting them will make them dependent and fearful. Your child will always be afraid to try out new activities and will have a hard time to gel with others. There’s a thin line between pampering and spoiling children. Parents go out of their ways to protect, provide and accommodate their kids which ideally is not healthy.

7. Ignoring their questions:

Don’t neglect your child’s questions; it is obvious that they will have a lot of “Why’s”. This is necessary. Reply to them with age-appropriate answers. Instead, you should help them develop curiosity and their ability to ask questions. Do check our video on ‘Ability to ask’ in our app (link at end of the article) for tips and details on how you can support as a parent.

What Is The Impact Of Bad Parenting On Children?

1. Antisocial behaviours

When your child doesn’t realize how his/her actions reflect or affect others it is a symptom of “antisocial behaviour”. Domestic violence, parenting pressure, abusive behaviour, etc. contribute to this condition. These behaviours are not built overnight, poor parenting is one of the major causes of these behaviours in adults.

Are you unknowingly abusing your child? Watch the video in our app to know more!

2. Poor resilience:

Your parenting can set a good or a bad example, depending on how your behaviour with your child is. Your child learns how to cope with mental, emotional and physical traumas seeing your hardships. However, your negative behaviour can impact their mind resulting in poor resilience. Hence showing love to your children in every situation is important.

3. Depression:

Emotionally abusive parents can put a toll on their kids. You might be abusing your child unknowingly (click to see the video in our app) by doing things that harm them emotionally. Bad parenting leads to anxieties, anger, depression and mindset of negativity. Bad parenting will affect your child’s future which will make them a bad person or parent in their adult life.

4. Aggression:

Aggressiveness is another negative emotion that hugely impacts the various aspects of your child’s life. It is one of the signs of a bad mother who have poorly treated their child or had emotional disconnect resulting in the high level of anger in the kid.

5. Lack of empathy:

Your child will behave with others in a way you’d treat them. If your kid is mistreated at home, it is likely that the impact of the emotion will burst in public places like school or elsewhere. Such kids eventually develop apathy towards other people.

6. Criminal behaviour:

At times parents indulge in cruel behaviour because they believe that it is the only way to deal with bratty kids. But, repeatedly using that same approach will make your child think that it is all right to strike somebody for any reason. Which is a big NO-NO.

How To Be A Good Parent?

1. Show involvement in parenting:

You might be a working parent or might be a busy parent. In any scenario, you must spend more “QUALITY” time with your kids. Educate them about the most important lessons in life with age-appropriate examples. Focus on developing emotional support with your kid.

We’ve recently introduced a whole new series of videos about spending QUALITY time with children if you are a working parent or just struggling with finding quality time. Do check the BONUS series of “WORKING PARENTS” in our app

2.Refrain from yelling at the child:

Instead of shouting, try to calm down your child by giving reasonable answers. Give some time to cool down especially when he/she have been difficult to handle. Calmly explain why they are wrong and the consequences of their actions. This is one of the simplest tips which can be implemented straight away in your daily parenting.

3. Give reasons for your instructions:

Don’t just announce your decisions to your child, explain the reasons behind it. If you want your kid to finish his/her homework before going out to play tell the reason behind that you want to make them responsible for their studies as well.

4. Listen when he says something:

The majority of the parents do not listen to their children. Know what your child is feeling and have come to you to discuss. You must listen to your child as it turns out to be important for him/her. Your child will remember your reactions in these situations for a long time. And ultimately your listening skills will deepen your bond with your child.

5. Set good examples:

Your child becomes what they see in you. He/she picks up habits and start implementing how you behaved. Hence, it is important that you practice healthy habits.

Closing Thoughts:

Coming up with a parenting philosophy is challenging because of the several hurdles that you face with your child. Bad parenting is not harmful to your child, but it will certainly have a lasting negative impact for years to come that could stay on in even after being an adult. Remember that parenting is not just about imparting wisdom to your child but allowing him to grow and find their own lifestyle.

We at WOW Parenting are committed to helping every parent learn and help them raise awesome children. Behind every successful person, their parents had a huge role to play. Subscribe to wow parenting online course today.