Conflict
Parents often feel challenged during different stages of their child’s development, particularly when their child reaches an age that was difficult in their own history or when a child’s behavior triggers a memory from the parent’s childhood. In the first five years of their child’s life, parents’ concerns often manifest around issues related to feeding, sleeping, separation, toilet training, and tantrums.
Power struggles feel frustrating and upsetting for everyone involved. These “ruptures” in the relationship, however, cannot be entirely avoided. Often tension arises when a parent misunderstands the intentions motivating her child’s behavior. Sometimes the interpretation of these events can cause more problems than the original problem. When conflict arises, it is imperative that a process of repair between parent and child follows. If ongoing clashes cause a pattern of negative interaction between parent and child, a consultation with a family therapist or other mental health professional may be in order so that the family can learn more adaptive ways of parenting.
See also:
Attachment
Child Development
Relationship Support Services
Mindful Parenting Groups
Reflective Parenting Workshops
For further reading:
Ghosts in the Nursery, by Fraiberg, S., Adelson, E & Shapiro, V. (1975). J American Academy of Child Psychiatry 14(3):387-421
Positive Discipline, Jane Nelson, Ed.D. Random House.
Positive Discipline for Preschoolers, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin & Roslyn Duffy. Random House
Touchpoints, by Dr. T. B. Brazelton, M.D. & J.D. Sparrow, M.D. Da Capo Press