Parenting is not easy. The role played by the parents is not limited to material provisions, but also extends to emotional support as well.
Even though emotional and physical abuse rank higher in terms of danger they cause to the wellbeing of children, emotional neglect is also just as harmful for the children.
Unlike emotional abuse, neglect may come from ignorance rather than malicious intent. Parents who emotional neglect their children often were raised by such people, due to which they fail to understand the need for and the importance of emotional support for children.
Children who are raised with emotionally neglectful parents not only have their growth hampered during their formative years, but these demons chase them into their adulthood as well, due to which they might then require the help of the Best Psychiatrist in Lahore as well.
How emotional neglect happens?
There are various ways neglect manifest. Many parents trivialize the problems that their children may present them with, rather than giving them support. For example, if their child comes with feeling bad about their friend, rather than listening to their anguish, parents brush it off as childhood drama.
Some parents truly mean well for their children, but their good intention does not extend to giving support to their children. They might give them all sorts of material luxuries, toil hard to set their child’s future, but as they do not know any better, they fail to cater to the emotional health of their children.
Moreover, there are also parents who do not simply have the energy left in them to fulfil the emotional needs of their children. They are either struggling with finances, catering to their parents or differently-abled children, are themselves struggling with physical or mental ailments, due to which simply have no time to address the emotional needs to their children.
However, some children are set for neglect by their parents and their narcissistic personalities. Such parents have no concern for their children, whom they might emotionally blackmail and neglect.
Impact of emotional neglect on children
The impact of emotional neglect during childhood may manifest then, or follow through adulthood, with the person gather more traits due to the neglect that they experience. Some signs of emotional neglect include:
Anxiety
In some people, emotional neglect also leads towards anxiety in the presence of the parents.
Hatred towards parents
Naturally, you resent your parents for not being there for you, and not catering to your emotional needs. They become worse with time, as with adulthood also comes influx of emotions, and if you have no training in how to handle them, life can become harder.
Cannot depend on others
Since you had to look after your own emotional wellbeing, you therefore have grown self-sufficient. It is thus harder for you to depend on others for support.
Conflicted feelings
You know they love you and it’s your responsibility to be there for them, but since you never felt their love, you also are not sure about your feelings towards them.
In case of manipulative parents, children are not even sure if their parents love them unconditionally or not.
Guilt
Due to the hate and anger that they child feels towards their parents, they feel guilty. They know their parents love them, which adds on to their conflicting feelings.
Not enjoy your parents’ company
Since there was no connection between you and your parents, you don’t enjoy their company.
Fear of rejection
People who were emotionally neglected carry an immense fear of rejection, as it triggers their trauma of being rejected by their parents.
Getting better
Just because you grew up with emotionally neglectful parents does not mean that you sign your life off to mental health problems. You can get better by taking help from mental health experts like the Best Psychiatrist in Karachi or a therapist.