Why constant fights at home will turn your child into a zombie

• By Nao Mih

Marital conflict is not just a difference of opinion. Rather, it is a series of events that have been poorly handled and later damages the relationship between husband-wife, mother-children and father-children.

Conflicts are usually arguments, disharmonies and disagreements that occur between partners in a matrimonial relationship. Marriage is supposed to be a bond of love and respect. It is stabilized by the contribution of affection from both partners.

A child continues to learn from his environment throughout his life. Whatever they learn affects them physically, socially, psychologically and emotionally. Poor problem solving skills, infidelity, financial crisis, distorted interaction patterns, decreased social welfare, unequally distributed household chores, disobeying in-laws and drug addiction are some of the causes of marital conflicts.

First of all, children learn everything from their parents. They learn how to communicate with others and problem solving skills from their parents.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in a home full of conflicts. A child has trouble in learning a language. Most of the children from these homes either talk less or use offensive language. A child who talks less ends up isolating themselves from the rest of the world and this leads to lack of confidence and creates self-doubt.

Most of them become introverts.

Secondly, a child in a home full of constant fights is a victim of frustration. When parents are unable to resolve their conflicts, they end up looking for someone to relieve their frustrations on. Unfortunately, it is always the child.

When a child makes a slight mistake, she or he falls on a punishment. This leads to stress, anxiety and panic. Also, inadequate attention and parental depression causes inability to develop relationships even when they grow up.

Thirdly, when a child is growing up, they’re curious to learn new things. They often ask questions and this helps in gaining knowledge, becomes capable of solving problems, makes friends and learns to incorporate other’s opinions.

Persistent conflicts lead to decreased motivation from parents, leading to increased emotional and behavioral changes, social incompetency, low academic performance, decreased interaction with friends and siblings and increased feeling of insecurities.

In conclusion, marital conflicts significantly affect a child’s development. Therefore, their resolution is important. Parents should learn to resolve their conflicts in a desirable way of repressing anger without disrespecting each other.