Parenthood and unresolved issues

2 minutes read time

As a parent you often find yourself in situations where you are not able to react the way you wish. You might have had plans before your child was born on how to will deal with their crying, whining, hitting or having big emotions in public places. You imagined you will always be calm, because how could you ever shout at someone so wonderful. Then the time comes, and you can’t recognise your own reaction. It’s happening too quickly; you feel you’re losing control, and you can only stop when it’s too late and everything went wrong. You feel a rush of guilt and not sure anymore what to do. If this sounds familiar, this article might be useful to read.

You can easily recognise the triggering situations because your reaction is intensive and usually out of your character. When you reflect on the circumstances later you might have a different way to deal with it in your mind, you might regret how you answered to your child’s behaviour or to their needs. Acknowledging this could be the first step of healing. Luckily every reaction that might seem like a mistake can be an opportunity to build a healthier and more stable relationship with your child.

As you can see parenthood has the potential to heal your forgotten scars, break generational maladaptive patterns (read more about these here) and lead you to personal growth. Sometimes these unresolved questions are too heavy to be answered alone. Talking to a psychologist gives you the right tools to handle difficult situations and a safe space to face with your past to increase your self-awareness, resilience, and emotional well-being.