Could your child become violent or aggressive towards you? I don’t think there is a parent in the world who could look at their young child and think that one day he or she would be violent towards them. Sadly, this is becoming more and more common.
Children are becoming violent and the person who is taking the brunt of that violence is their parent. Some children quickly learn how to manipulate and control their parents and that can lead to more aggressive behavior when they are older.
The very people who love a child are the ones the child turns on. The statistics show that 7-18% of two parent families and 29% of single parents experience violence from their children. This may be grossly under reported due to the parents not wanting to cause problems for the child and the fact that there are few resources for abused parents.
There are many resources for adult to child violence or adult to adult violence but few when the tables are turned. This is in no way a reflection on the single parent family. I believe that single mothers may report this more often if they are being abused by a son that they feel is a threat not only to them but to their other children.
It is not only boys who are perpetrating this violence, girls do it to. The single biggest problems seem to be the child’s anger and that the parent lost their authority somewhere along the way. Sometimes the reason behind the aggression is that the child is being bullied outside the home and the hurt and anger spill over to his or her family.
Whatever the reason, it is unacceptable. If your child reacts aggressively or violently, get help, the first time. If this is allowed to continue it will only escalate. No one wants to cause trouble for their child but by stopping this as soon as it starts you may be preventing far bigger problems in the future.
Also, just as you watch for signs of child abuse, watch for single parents you know who may be abused. Reach out to them in a non judgmental way. Offering help for them is really helping their child.