When it comes to parenting there is no 1 way that fits all approach especially in today’s day & age.
However, when it comes to disagreements and fights between you & your partner, it would be better for the child not to witness these arguments as it could lead to some long term effects.
Recently, a Malaysian teacher took to Twitter to urge all parents to stop fighting in front of their children. In her post she says, “I feel sad whenever my students tell me that they’ve seen their parents fighting.”
PARENTS SHOULD NOT FIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN. i repeat PARENTS SHOULD NOT FIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN.
i kesian dan sedih bila my students cerita yang diorang kena tengok parents diorang gaduh.
— chillsuk (@chillsukk) February 22, 2022
“I don’t know what parents think but please know that it can affect their mental health. I can’t listen to their stories everyday as I am a teacher not a counselor but please don’t,” she added.
“Please bear in mind the long term effects that could happen to kids who witness their parents fight. This includes: anxiety, trauma, depression, academic problems, insecurity, stress and/or behaviour problems.”
She urges parents to go somewhere private to fight instead of doing it in front of their children.
She then recalled when one of her students told her that when his mother was angry at his dad, she’d say things like, “I regret marrying your dad. If I did not, it wouldn’t be this difficult.”
“I don’t know how my students must feel. It must be a hell. I’m crying. Please don’t say things like that to your children.”
“They didn’t ask to be birthed into that family, but you chose to get married and have a child. You must take responsibility,” she added.
Netizens shared how it has affected them
The tweet has garnered plenty of attention and currently sits on over 8,422 likes and 4,761 shares. Plenty of users took to the comments section to share how their experiences in the past still have an effect on them now.
As a result of constantly witnessing their parents fight, one user said that they don’t know how to have a stable and healthy relationship.
“I don’t know how to express my feeling because I’m afraid to get yelled at.”
Another said that after witnessing their mum scolding them and their dad for small things, they now “have a hard time with confrontations and expressing feelings.”
“It made me promise myself that if I do get married one day, I will love my wife and not repeat these things,” said a user.
“As a child from a broken family, when you grow up you’ll be traumatised whenever people are fighting even though it has no correlation with you,” said a netizen.
Parents, please do not fight or argue in front of your children as the effects are much more long lasting that you’d think.
Have you experienced something similar? Let us know in the comments.