Parent Bullying

The majority of the time when people think about bullying, you mainly think about two people the same age bullying each other in some way or another.  Very seldom is it thought that parents bully their children, but it does happen, more than you know.  However, I am not referring to physical bullying by parents; I am referring to emotional and mental bullying by parents.  Physical bullying is more recognized, but less common; emotional and mental bullying is identified more with parents who bully because they think it doesn’t leave scars. 

Emotional and mental bullying works by using methods of demeaning speech and other techniques that are meant to help the bully feel superior.  A parent, however is not trying to feel superior to their child they are trying to use this as a tactic to motivate their children by being sarcastic.  This tactic can be especially damaging, because it can encourage a child to think ill of himself/herself. Mental scars can emerge that can result in depression, as well as make it difficult for the child to develop and sustain healthy relationships going forward.  Certainly, if a child learns how to treat people from the example of a bullying parent, he or she is likely to develop into a bully as well.

Handling a parent bully can prove to be difficult. Parents do not take kindly to someone interfering with their parenting, so this subject must be approached with caution.  The first thing you should try is to talk to the parent and try to work out the differences. If that is not successful, it is a good idea to talk to some sort of authority at the school, another relative, or a clergy member.  It is important that parent bullying be stopped, especially since it can be damaging to the long term psyche of the child.

-Takoma Peppers, parent of two children