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Estrangement

Domestic Violence from kids to parents

(679 Posts)
Lavazza1st Sun 11-Oct-20 15:55:35

I am copying and pasting a post I just found on our local Facebook page for police. This is what the man wrote:

"Why aren't we highlighting mother's of domestic abuse at the hands of their sons?.
These mothers of lads need support after failing to set boundaries early on got irretrievably out of hand as I imagine the mums end up victims of domestic abuse from little back chatting tyrants who hold the mum to ransom, so she gives in for an easy life, and he learns that being abusive gets him rewarded.
You should never reward bad behaviour.
It's like the kid that screams and screams til the parent gives in and gets them a packet of sweets.
I do believe we have parents who've given up after being ground down to nothing over time.
It's a thing that goes on under the radar."

I was really surprised this was written by a man and also really surprised that this is being openly discussed. I think it's a good thing to be open about it and remove the shame factor so people can get help. I hope it helps someone here , that's why I posted it.

EllanVannin Mon 12-Oct-20 13:25:44

Many children will be on a waiting list to see a psychotherapist when this pandemic has faded, suffering from PTSD, which is another area of the brain which is concerned with emotions, especially those who are violent towards their parents as professional help is badly needed.

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 13:23:58

EllanVannin

In many cases it is genetic. If an offspring of a parent who was prone to violence were to have an MRI scan you'd find different " wiring " within the brain to that of a normal child.

I've assisted with encephalograms in the past and have seen it myself in a child's trace. No doubt one of the parents was also prone to violence. It's not something that can't be solved, even without medication.

Take away the mobiles from these parents and give that time to the children instead !

Being a victim of violence, or being exposed to violence, changes a child’s brain.

The chances of being a victim of violence or being exposed to violence are increased when one or both of the parents are violent.

It is not or the other. Genes or environment. It’s both.

What do mobile phones have to do with anything? Do you think bad parenting didn’t exist before mobile phones?

grandtanteJE65 Mon 12-Oct-20 13:23:57

Chewbacca, as the one boy is in your granddaughter's class could her parents not bring the conditions in the boy's home to the attention of his teachers?

These boys need to learn now, before they are any older, that this behaviour towards their mother and to girls in their class is not acceptable.

For the children's sake, as much as the mother's it has to be stopped at once.

EllanVannin Mon 12-Oct-20 13:15:47

In many cases it is genetic. If an offspring of a parent who was prone to violence were to have an MRI scan you'd find different " wiring " within the brain to that of a normal child.

I've assisted with encephalograms in the past and have seen it myself in a child's trace. No doubt one of the parents was also prone to violence. It's not something that can't be solved, even without medication.

Take away the mobiles from these parents and give that time to the children instead !

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 12:48:46

EllanVannin

Then you have genetics !

Ah, it’s genetic!

The ultimate method of absolving oneself of responsibility for how their child turns out.

It is never that simple.

Genes and environment have a complicated relationship. Environmental factors affect different individuals differently, depending upon genotype.

EllanVannin Mon 12-Oct-20 12:28:13

Then you have genetics !

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 12:25:27

EllanVannin

HolyHannah a tiny baby can manipulate let alone one at infant/primary school age, so your " blame the parents " remark doesn't hold water.

A baby is not manipulating anyone! A baby is trying to get its needs met.

Children’s behaviour is a form of communication. Communication to get their needs met.

A young child cannot be held responsible for their behaviour; they are not born knowing how to behave appropriately. That is the job of the parent. Responsibility lies with the parents.

EllanVannin Mon 12-Oct-20 12:20:23

HolyHannah a tiny baby can manipulate let alone one at infant/primary school age, so your " blame the parents " remark doesn't hold water.

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 11:51:57

*currently known, not commonly

travelsafar Mon 12-Oct-20 11:44:22

Chewbacca I am sorry but if I had seen children doing this to their mother i would have had to say something to them. Unless it is pointed out to them by someone other than their mum that their behavior is unacceptable, they will never know. My heart goes out to that young mum.

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 11:36:39

MadeInYorkshire

Thanks Smileless2012 and Lavazza1st one was very late teens at the time (she is now a lovely full time MUM) and the other who is knocking on 30 is like an adult toddler and has Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which is SO difficult to understand and live with - she is now back at University which is her last chance to do something really and if this doesn't work I am afraid I will have a suicide on my conscience too. She currently isn't allowed back to me, so am really hoping she can make a go of it as there is literally nowhere else she can go within the family as none of us can cope sadly ....

My mum quite clearly has Borderline Personality Disorder (more commonly known as EUPD). Has your daughter been diagnosed? I’ve heard great things about dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT). If she has a diagnosis, she could enquire through her GP for a possible referral for DBT.

It develops as a reaction to trauma, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.

MadeInYorkshire Mon 12-Oct-20 11:22:52

Thanks Smileless2012 and Lavazza1st one was very late teens at the time (she is now a lovely full time MUM) and the other who is knocking on 30 is like an adult toddler and has Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which is SO difficult to understand and live with - she is now back at University which is her last chance to do something really and if this doesn't work I am afraid I will have a suicide on my conscience too. She currently isn't allowed back to me, so am really hoping she can make a go of it as there is literally nowhere else she can go within the family as none of us can cope sadly ....

Starblaze Mon 12-Oct-20 11:14:22

The reason toddlers often lash out is the same as the reason older children may do it... Being able to speak or communicate doesn't mean anyone is listening or paying attention. So they go for negative attention instead because they need contact in any form and if unaddressed take those unhealthy thinking patterns into adulthood

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 10:50:56

Iam64

Davidhs, you say there should be a system where out of control children are taught appropriate behaviour at an early stage.
That’s the job of parents. That’s what family and sure start centres, Camhs, social work etc etc were set up to do. To help parents who were struggling, parents who hadn’t had the best role models in their family of origin, parents whose children presented challenges because for eg of developmental disorders.

I agree completely.

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 10:49:06

This thread isn't about abused children being scapegoated by abusive parents, it isn't about child abuse, it's about children abusing parents

I don’t think it is a separate issue at all. We are essentially discussing children who are showing clear signs of abuse.

Witnessing abuse carries the same risk of harm to children's mental health and learning as being abused directly.

Smileless2012 Mon 12-Oct-20 10:41:21

I hope so too MrsWarren for the children's and their mother's sake.

Lavazza1st Mon 12-Oct-20 10:40:47

@MadeinYorkshire I'm so sorry. Yes I had the same thing with my kids before I left their Dad. I thought by leaving him that I could bring them up Properly in a stable home. I did do that and I married a stable man to give them a solid role model. But one of mine has MH problems and also my feelings "don't matter " either so I know how you feel. Feel free to PM me if it helps to talk. flowers

Iam64 Mon 12-Oct-20 10:38:14

Davidhs, you say there should be a system where out of control children are taught appropriate behaviour at an early stage.
That’s the job of parents. That’s what family and sure start centres, Camhs, social work etc etc were set up to do. To help parents who were struggling, parents who hadn’t had the best role models in their family of origin, parents whose children presented challenges because for eg of developmental disorders.

Lavazza1st Mon 12-Oct-20 10:38:04

Unfortunately an out of control child is going to grow up as an out of control adult. What is a temper tantrum as a toddler is acceptable and normal, but most people grow out of that and learn emotional regulation. Unfortunately many abusive adults are impulsive and lack emotional regulation because they missed out on an important part of their development.

An adult toddler is a scary thing. Having lived with an abusive ex, I can tell you this for real. I did not find out until later that he had been in a remand home as a kid, for behavioural disorders. I never did find out what they were...

Some children CAN be manipulative. I agree with Smileless there. I have worked with children for most of my working life, so I have seen and heard a lot of upsetting things, attended Social Services meetings etc. Sometimes children lie about awful things, but I still think you should believe everything and then investigate it.

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 10:37:41

Smileless2012

I consider a 7 year old who drop kicks the back of his mother's legs, knocking her to the ground as physically abusing his mother.

Don't be embarrassed MadeInYorkshire, it must have been heartbreaking to have your D's mimicking their father's abusive behaviour.

I hope your D with the MH issues is seeking and receiving the help she needsflowers.

I really hope there is some intervention in that woman’s situation as those boys are being failed.

Gwyneth Mon 12-Oct-20 10:32:52

So would I Smileless. It is not a ‘developmental norm’ to be doing that to a parent at seven. Toddler tantrums is a stage which most young children go through because they haven’t got the verbal skills to communicate and become frustrated. I would not expect that to be the case with an older child unless they had some sort of learning difficulty. I feel very sorry for the parent in this case and hope she gets help and support. The behaviour is only likely to get worse. I feel at times too many excuses are made for unacceptable behaviour in children.

Davidhs Mon 12-Oct-20 10:25:06

Children that are out of control ultimately end up in care and/or members of a gang. As a gang member you have to respect the leader and those ranking higher in the gang, if you disobey the sanction is violence, maybe extreme violence. There are no social services to intervene then, once respect for parents is lost it’s very hard, especially for single mothers

There should be some system where these out of control children are taught proper behavior at an early age, some are out of control at nursery level and primary school.

Smileless2012 Mon 12-Oct-20 10:15:34

I consider a 7 year old who drop kicks the back of his mother's legs, knocking her to the ground as physically abusing his mother.

Don't be embarrassed MadeInYorkshire, it must have been heartbreaking to have your D's mimicking their father's abusive behaviour.

I hope your D with the MH issues is seeking and receiving the help she needsflowers.

MadeInYorkshire Mon 12-Oct-20 09:53:40

Sadly it's not just sons - I have had issues with both my daughters. But then they saw their dad hitting me when they were young.

I find it embarrassing that they behaved like that and hurt that they thought it was ok. The police were called a few times over the years. One of my daughters though has severe MH issues and can't control her emotions, but my emotions don't seem to come into it?

MrsWarren Mon 12-Oct-20 09:43:34

Smileless2012

Where are people lining up against minor children? This thread highlighted an all too often not talked about issue of parents being the victims of domestic violence perpetrated by their children.

The case I referred too was an example of the disruption caused to a family by a minor child, and the case Chewbacca referred too was an awful example of boys aged 7 and 9 physically abusing their mother.

Of even greater concern are the numbers of AC who physically abuse their parents, which as pointed out earlier, can include fathers as well as mothers.

This thread isn't about abused children being scapegoated by abusive parents, it isn't about child abuse, it's about children abusing parents. We don't stop referring to our own, or other peoples children as children when they become adults, they are always their parents children.

Do you really consider a 7 year old child as a perpetrator of domestic violence and an abuser?