Parent-child conflict prevention
In today’s article, we will be looking at tips on parent-child conflict prevention.
From the beginning of time, there have been conflicts between people. One of the famous that everybody knows is that of Cain and Able, the descendants of Adam and Eve, and since then, fighting has never ceased.
Therefore it isn’t surprising to see conflicts occurring even between kids and their parents.
According to research, parent-child conflict is more prevalent among nonhispanic non-white adolescents, with about 18% at age 12 to 28% at age 17 in the United States.
One may ask what are the causes and how can they be prevented?
We will be diving deep into everything about what causes the parent-child conflicts, the effects, and how to prevent them from happening.
What is parent-child conflict?
This is defined as a conflict between parents and their children, resulting in both sides having wrong views.
This may lead to both parties not seeing eye to eye and might even stop talking.
There could be a lot of factors that lead to these kinds of conflicts which might include the following.
Over Parenting;
A significant cause of parent and children conflict is over parenting. When raising their children, many parents forget that their ward is growing even when they reach the teenage stage; they still want to control them.
Overparenting has led to disagreements in many homes and has also made most children leave their parent’s houses in anger, never to return home.
Relationship issues;
According to research, over 80 percent of parents fall out with their children because they decide to go into romantic relationships.
This is because, in their eyes, their children are still not old enough even when they are teenagers, and this always leads to fights in most homes.
Appearance;
Many teenagers dream of living under their own rules and doing what they feel is right for them, like tattooing, piercing, or dressing inappropriately. This may anger some parents, especially those who do not believe in that way of life, causing fights or conflicts between the child and the parent.
The parent who still sees himself as the authority figure at the house might lash out with anger, threatening the child who would not take it lightly, leading to a fight or conflict.
Doing drugs;
No good parent would want to meet the child-abusing or engaging in dangerous substances like heroin, cocaine, or even smoking cigarettes.
Since this is breaking the law, parents will be apprehensive that it might one day lead the child to prison and destroy their life.
How can one prevent parent-children conflicts?
While some argue there are no ways to prevent parent-children conflict, I think otherwise.
There are a lot of ways in which this conflict can be prevented, and that is precisely what we will be looking at next;
1. Involve your child in decision making;
Letting your children involved in little decision-making at home can help boost the relationship between them and their parents.
It makes them feel you trust their decision-making and doesn’t impose things on them, which is usually the leading cause of conflicts at home.
In the long run, this will reduce the chances of conflicts taking place at home.
2. Always give them choices;
When you want something done, give them choices. Inform them that you want them to do this but make it flexible that they can choose how they want to do it.
By doing so, the child will feel valued and also being appreciated.
3. Be ready to listen;
One may ask how this might help prevent conflict at home? Well, giving a listening ear to your children will indicate to them that you care about their feelings and any other contribution they might have to offer.
It could also be that they might not be happy about certain things going on at home, making them frustrated, so the only way to get through this is to be ready to hear them vent out their issues.
4. Avoid yelling;
According to experts, yelling at kids does nothing but only puts fear in the kids and makes them timid.
Constant yelling at kids can lead to the kid rebelling when he has enough leading to the misunderstanding between them and the parent.
This is to say that anytime you want to communicate with your child, a low tone voice is an option you must take to prevent rebelling in the future.
5. Don’t be afraid to show your love;
Let them know how much you love them and want nothing but the best for them. Show that love through your actions and interactions, so they know you mean what you have been saying.
When they feel they are loved, there will be no reason for them to rebel.
I hope these 5 tips on preventing parent-child conflict help strengthen the bond between you and your children.
Thanks for reading.
