Mental Abuse
- Gaslighting
- Denying the child’s reality (“That never happened”)
- Making the child question their memory or sanity
- Emotional Neglect
- Ignoring the child’s emotional needs
- Withholding affection or comfort
- Devaluation and Criticism
- Constant belittling or insulting the child
- Comparing the child unfavorably to others or siblings
- Love Conditional on Performance
- Only showing approval when the child achieves something
- Withdrawal of love as punishment
- Triangulation
- Pitting siblings, relatives, or other people against each other
- Using others to manipulate the child
- Projection
- Blaming the child for the parent’s own flaws or mistakes
- Accusing the child of emotions or behaviors the parent is displaying
- Parentification
- Forcing the child to act as a parent or caretaker
- Relying on the child for emotional support
- Guilt-Tripping
- Making the child feel responsible for the parent’s unhappiness or struggles
- Using phrases like “After all I’ve done for you…”
- Control and Micromanagement
- Invasion of privacy (reading diaries, monitoring messages)
- Controlling decisions about clothes, friends, or hobbies
- Silent Treatment or Emotional Withholding
- Ignoring the child as punishment
- Using affection as a tool for manipulation
- Invalidation
- Dismissing the child’s thoughts, feelings, or opinions
- Saying “You’re too sensitive” or “You’re overreacting”
- Identity Suppression
- Forcing the child to conform to the parent’s image
- Discouraging individuality or independence
Physical Abuse
- Corporal Punishment
- Excessive or unjustified spanking, hitting, or slapping
- Intimidation
- Threatening physical harm (even if not carried out)
- Yelling in a threatening way or destroying property
- Physical Neglect
- Failing to provide adequate food, clothing, or hygiene
- Ignoring medical needs
- Invasion of Physical Space
- No respect for boundaries (e.g., entering the bathroom or bedroom without knocking)
- Over-monitoring or restraining physical freedom
- Punitive Actions
- Locking the child in a room or depriving them of basic needs as punishment
- Forcing the child to stand, sit, or endure discomfort as “discipline”
- Public Shaming or Humiliation
- Physically dragging or restraining the child in public
- Using physical acts to degrade or embarrass them
thease are just a few
