Being Manipulated by Your Adult Child? Here’s What You Can Do

Phrases that hurt kids can leave lasting emotional impressions, even if spoken in the heat of the moment. These seemingly harmless remarks often turn out to be damaging phrases for kids, quietly shaping how they view themselves and the world.

The things parents say that hurt can affect a child’s confidence, trust, and emotional development. Here are seven hurtful things parents say to kids that can do more harm than many realize.

KEY POINTS

Expressing disappointment without support can lead to feelings of inadequacy.

Constant comparisons can crush a child’s self-esteem and create unhealthy competition.

Parenting brings out different sides in all of us. Some parents lead with discipline, others lean into connection and open communication. And then there’s a style that often gets overlooked, not because it’s rare, but because it tends to keep things under the surface. It’s known as the ostrich parenting style.

This approach is named after the idea (though scientifically inaccurate) that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they sense danger. Ostrich parents are a fitting metaphor for parents who struggle to confront emotional situations, either their own or their children’s.

They choose to avoid or downplay them instead. These are the parents who might say, “It’s just a phase,” or “They’ll grow out of it,” in response to signs of distress or behavioral changes.

Believe it or not, animals in the wild aren’t that different from us when it comes to raising their young ones. From the fierce tiger mom to the gentle elephant dad, there are different animal parenting styles that can look a lot like our own.

So, what kind of parent are you? Let’s take a fun, honest look at 10 animal parenting styles names and help you figure out which one matches your vibe.

Most parents are left wondering if they’re doing this whole parenting thing right. Maybe they’re the kind who set firm rules and expect big results, or maybe they’re soft-hearted ones who just want to keep peace.

So take this parenting style quiz to understand how you parent rather than how to be a better parent!

Did you grow up feeling like you had to measure every word or watch every little expression on your parent’s face to avoid setting them off? If so, you might have experienced something called eggshell parenting.

One moment, everything was fine; the next, a small mistake or innocent comment could cause an explosion. The atmosphere at home felt unpredictable, and your sense of safety depended on your parent’s mood.

Over time, this kind of environment can make you anxious, constantly second-guess yourself, and do whatever it takes to avoid conflict in your adulthood. If all this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with signs of eggshell parenting.

Are you afraid your kids are not prepared for the world? It’s an important task to raise mentally strong kids, or else they might become adults who give up too easily.

Read on to know more about raising resilient kids and why it’s crucial to make your children face failure!

These days kids grow up with every possible means of luxury and comfort. They are habituated with the world being right on their fingertips.

Everything is ready with one click or tap; things are instant, things are right how they want them to be. And if something is not right, that can be changed with one rant, one temper tantrum, or one bad review. Life seems to be a seamless experience, right?

Only when it’s not. The queue to the grocery store clerk is too long; your kids start

Raising children is hard, no matter what. However, raising an empathic child can be especially challenging. But with the right guidance and understanding, it can be a wonderful experience.

Empath children are gifts to the world and need to be nurtured properly.

As a psychiatrist and empath, I’m often asked by parents for advice on raising their sensitive children. As an empath child myself, I never felt like I fit in. Much of the time, I felt like an alien on earth, waiting to be transported to my real home in the stars.

My ordinarily loving mother would call me “too sensitive” and would say, “You need to get a thicker skin.” So, I grew up believing there was somet

Teenagers spend more time online than ever before. While the internet offers endless opportunities, it also harbors dark secrets filled with harmful content that can shape young minds in troubling ways. Netflix’s psychological thriller Adolescence serves as a stark reminder of these dangers. Let’s learn more about digital influence and how it affects children.

Adolescence on Netflix depicts how a seemingly normal 13-year old teenager, Jamie, is accused of the murder of a classmate, his family, therapist and the detective in charge are all left asking: what really happened?