Working in the field of Social Work, I have come across clients that have had struggles and challenges they face time after time. Parents feel that because they are adults they don’t have to worry about their own issues. Parents feel that their role is to take care of the children. While working in the field, I have gained experience in working with individuals, as well as families. In these sessions, is when I realized that some parents have yet to go through their own healing process to be the best parent that they can be. When working with families, it is important for everyone to be together and willing to put in the work. Sometimes, when adults have children, they attempt to surpass their childhoods, their trauma, and their hardships. The breakdown of it all is when the parents are parenting and disciplining their children, they notice that they are repeating some of the same tactics that their parents used on them. Also, I have witnessed parents who will notice a change in their children’s behaviors and become confused as to what is triggering the behaviors.

Adults struggle to understand that their upbringing and childhood sticks with them for as long as they go unhealed. Experiencing trauma and never receiving help or treatment for it only causes it to come out in other forms. It may not always look exactly like trauma, but most of the time there will be trauma responses. Beginning therapy is always a good thing. It helps the parents to gain an understanding as to how their ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, are beginning to impact their relationships and their children. Being able to keep an open mind about learning who you are brings upon self-awareness.

Noticing that the changes within yourself, and the feelings and behaviors are important. The behaviors that tend to occur can include anger, abandonment, insecurity, and more. Therapy helps trace back to specific events that have unintentionally triggered these events. Reparenting your inner child takes time and effort. It is not an easy process and can have its ups and down. This work takes consistency and strength to face those challenges that have been suppressed for so long.