“I don’t want to be like my mother.”
“I don’t want to do things the way my father did.”
Have you ever caught yourself thinking these phrases or similar variations? You’re far from being the only person who has uttered them. There’s no need to feel guilty; the task of being a parent is far from simple.
Once you become a parent, you become aware of your own childhood and start to desire to handle certain aspects differently than how your parents did.
Whether you grew up in an environment with authoritarian parents, experienced excessive permissiveness, or perhaps went through challenging experiences that are hard to talk about, these memories intersect with your new role as a parent. As you look towards the child within you, it becomes clear that you don’t want the patterns of the past to repeat. This awareness can guide you towards family and parenting counseling, where you have the opportunity to develop healthy communication skills and parenting techniques.
When do parents turn to family and parenting counseling?
- When the relationship with their child or within the family is marked by frequent arguments and conflicts.
- When they feel overwhelmed by the needs and demands within the family.
- When they are concerned about specific aspects related to the child’s development, such as excessive anxiety or shyness, isolation, or restlessness.
- When they struggle to manage adolescent outbursts of anger.
- When the child displays discomfort or disinterest in school and learning.
- When sibling conflicts become an issue.
- When parents have differing opinions about child-rearing methods.
- When they want to raise confident and resilient children and are determined to make efforts to achieve this goal.