Parents, look out for signs of emotional abuse in your child

Child abuse is not limited to bruised eyes or a bad touch; it goes way deeper than that. While physical abuse is the most talked about form of abuse, there is another which has a profound impact on kids mental growth and development- it is the emotional abuse.

As parents, you may provide whatever your kids need to live a comfortable life, but neglecting their emotional needs has myriad short as well as long-term consequences. Withholding love and support, rejecting, criticizing, threatening, demeaning and name-calling all come under emotional abuse and its impact can even be witnessed when they grow up. It may impact their personal relationships, careers and even their bond with their kids. Emotional abuse at times coexist with physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect and is one the hardest forms of abuse to recognize. Slowly and steadily it damages the kid's self-esteem and confidence. While emotional abuse is quite grave, emotional neglect is quite common in most households and the problem is that most parents do not even recognise the signs.

Only meeting all the demands of your kids is not enough. It's the parent's responsibility to guide them and support them emotionally. A child's mind is like wet clay. You can mould them in any shape you would want them to be. They need their parent's attention at every step of life. They expect them to validate their feelings and help them identify right and wrong. Missing these things may slow their emotional development. This can stay with them throughout their life.

A kid may be well-behaved or successful, yet may be a victim of emotional neglect. Deep down they may feel anxious and depressed from an early age. What is more saddening is that they may not realise the reasons or the cause. The signs of emotional neglect are quite subtle and hard to recognise. Some signs may include:

Unresponsive to your kid's feelings

Neglecting their emotions

Not spending time with them

Always criticising them or not praising them

Less positive social interactions

Not taking interest in their lives

Not recognising the sign of help

Finding fault with the child

Children who are the victims of emotional neglect may suffer from the one or two of the following signs. These signs may be visible in childhood or can show up later in life.

Being harder on themselves

Hard time identifying strengths and weaknesses

Low self-esteem

Blaming themselves for every failure

Sensitive to rejection

Considering oneself deeply flawed

Recognising the signs of emotional neglect and taking steps to make things better is essential in raising a compassionate and empathetic child. Kids may not understand its importance or may not speak to you about their feelings, but as grown-ups it is your responsibility to provide them the support and right environment to chase their dreams.