Journal # 16

Many parents in today’s world do not abuse their children. They do not spank, hit, bite, or physically abuse them. But we are now seeing another form of abuse begin to rise. Emotional abuse. Yelling at young children has become increasingly more common is today’s society. The effects of yelling at a child can be minimal, but sometimes it can be serious, depending on the way the yelling is performed. Shouting is considered the new form of spanking to many people.

A lot of parents today are working full time, trying to raise a family and keep a relationship alive. This can be very stressful and emotionally and physically exhausting. Many parents do not know how to deal with their children when they are misbehaving. Before, it used to be that they would spank their child, but now that spanking is not socially accepted, what else is there to do?

This is where the yelling comes in. With all the frustration from your job, your house, financial and relationship matters, your drained. To top it all off, your kids are not listening. All the frustration just finds a way out. Unfortanetly, even though you may not mean it, it is targeted at your children. You yell at them to get them to behave. You yell at them because they did something wrong. You yell at them because you are frustrated and do not know what to do.

The effects of yelling on children can be minimal, but also serious in some cases. Hearing yelling will cause many children to tune out and ignore you. If the yelling is done in a rude tone, insults or has sarcasm in it, the child can feel rejected. This is where the yelling can be serious. Feelings of rejection at a young age can lead to low self esteem, and trust issues. Yelling effects all children in different ways.

Many parents tend to feel guilt after they yell at their children. They were frustrated before, causing them to yell, and now they feel guilty, causing frustration, causing more yelling. It is a vicious circle. One that can be stopped. Some ways to avoid yelling at your children are to take a ‘time out.’ Stop for a minute, breathe and relax, before dealing with any annoying situations. Target the reason why you are frustrated. Most times, it is not your kid. A lot of the time, events happened in your day, with your kids added on. So, if you’re angry because you are hungry when you get home, make time to eat before you get home. Taking your frustration out on your kids, even if not intended, is not right. Find another stress relief.

The best way to avoid possible long term effects from yelling for your kids? Don’t yell.