Thought Stirring Question: Public
While parenting is always a challenge, it can hold some extra challenges for survivors. Trying to care for a child while simultaneously coping with PTSD symptoms can be tricky, as it can be tough to find a healthy balance of caring for yourself and caring for a child. Survivors of child abuse, child sexual abuse, or incest can have an extra layer of complexity added, since they grew up with unhealthy parental role models.
For any survivor, raising children can be triggering. Children naturally invade our physical boundaries, can be argumentative, and seeing them in pain or sad can bring up feelings from our past. A more unexpected trigger can be when a survivor's child reaches the same age the survivor was when abuse happened. Parenting can bring up a lot of unexpected memories and feelings which can be difficult to manage.
However, parenting can also be a wonderful thing for both parent and child. Survivors can find solace in being a good parent, in forming a healthy bond with their child and giving their children as happy a life as is possible.
This week's questions are:
- What have been your negative experiences with parenting?
- What have been your positive experiences with parenting?
- If you had one piece of advice, or one coping skill, to offer to other survivor parents, what would it be?
For any survivor, raising children can be triggering. Children naturally invade our physical boundaries, can be argumentative, and seeing them in pain or sad can bring up feelings from our past. A more unexpected trigger can be when a survivor's child reaches the same age the survivor was when abuse happened. Parenting can bring up a lot of unexpected memories and feelings which can be difficult to manage.
However, parenting can also be a wonderful thing for both parent and child. Survivors can find solace in being a good parent, in forming a healthy bond with their child and giving their children as happy a life as is possible.
This week's questions are:
- What have been your negative experiences with parenting?
- What have been your positive experiences with parenting?
- If you had one piece of advice, or one coping skill, to offer to other survivor parents, what would it be?