EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON THE KIDS

A home where domestic abuse exists is surely always going to be engulfed in one form misery or the other. There is nothing as sad as seeing two people who once loved each other so very dearly suddenly turn against each other with so much bitterness, so much hatred for each other. These days, it is no longer uncommon to see couples yelling at each other with so much venom, slapping and kicking each other. And in some other extreme situations, some couples have actually taken it to the next level by killing one another. This has happened time and time again. It is a lot worrisome when one realizes that some of the domestic violence take place right in the presence of the kids. What couples do not understand is that letting go of their anger and frustrations right in front of the kids may leave on them a permanent scar that may just never heal Here are some of the effects of domestic violence on kids.

*They start to withdraw. This is usually one of the first reaction. When kids are exposed to witnessing mum and dad yelling at each other, or worse still, fighting, with dad pounding at mum, it shatters them and of course, after they let out the tears, they withdraw into their shell. They become confused. They start to wonder why mum and dad have become enemies of each other. This withdrawal might compel them to eat less, talk less, play less, and the child ultimately becomes a perpetually sad and unhappy child.

*Their grades begin to go down. This is a natural flow of things in a situation where couples no longer mind whether the kids see them fighting, or where the father no longer gives a damn that his 12 year old son is watching while he's turning his mother into a punching bag. That is a big problem becomes such child could become so traumatised that the he/she could have a hard time concentrating in school and studying at home. Eventually, his/her grades would start coming down. And this could become a serious academic problem for the child.

*Lasting impression. This could have, unfortunately, a lasting impression on the kids. It could become a negative influence on them. A young boy who, for so many years, witnessed how dad pummeled mum black and blue almost every day, most likely end up a wife beater himself. It will only the grace of God for such a boy not to end up turning his women into punching bags too. 

*Deep rooted hatred. Just as this situation could have a lasting adverse effect on a young boy that watched dad constantly beat mum, so could it have same adverse effect on a young girl. She could grow up hating all men because of what she saw her father do to her mum. And because every day, every night, she saw how her mother suffered in dad's hands, she tells herself she would never love any man and neither would she allow any man to turn into his punching bag. This could end up affecting her relationships with men and ultimately, her marriage.

*The kids are constantly scared. Every day, the kids become perpetually scared in the house. They are not just sad and unhappy, they are also afraid in their own home because they know once mum and dad are home, anything could happen anytime. And this scares them to bits.