When soon-to-be parents dream of the life that they will have with their unborn child, those dreams include positive images of a happy, healthy child who experiences an abundance of love and lives a successful, fulfilling life.
While all of these things are possible for most families, the pathway to get there isn’t as smooth and easy going as those soon-to-be parents envision.
Actually, the road is rocky with plenty of dead ends and detours. Parents may learn quickly that their child has a unique personality that makes disciplining the child more difficult than other children or stressful life events may occur that create tension and frustration between the child and the parent.
Those dreams of happiness and harmony between parent(s) and child may be replaced with the reality of regular, consistent conflict between parent(s) and child over a variety of issues:
- Food / Eating Habits
- Clothing
- Friends
- Daily Activities
- Compliance with Directions
- School Performance and Behaviors
In the early childhood years, when conflict and disagreement occur between parent(s) and child, parents may receive advice from well-meaning people that this is “just a phase” or that the child will “grow out of it.” But these pieces of advice can be harmful for families that are plagued by conflict because the excessive conflict impedes upon the development of the child and the family relationships during that phase of life.
If parent-child conflict has become unbearable in your home, counseling may be necessary to resolve the conflict and restore your family to a healthier and happier level of interacting with each other.
At Encompass Mental Health, I treat parent-child conflict through individual play therapy with the child, family play therapy including the child, and even parenting therapy to help the adults in the family to learn new skills to manage the conflict. I utilize a unique approach for each family experiencing the conflict to focus treatment on the problems that cause the conflict and the solutions that will be most helpful for that family.
Call (605) 275-0009 to schedule an appointment with me to help resolve your parent-child conflict sooner, rather than later!