10 SIMPLE WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT A CHILD OR TEEN WITH HARMFUL PARENTS

Have you ever suspected that a child has harmful parents? Have you ever wondered if there is any way that you can help? Have you ever wondered if you should even get involved?

Well the answers are simple. Yes, there are ways you can help. And yes, you absolutely should get involved. Plus, making a difference is not as difficult as you may think.

But why should you get involved?

It takes a village to raise a child, right? Well, a child with harmful parents is particularly reliant on non-parent role models.

From debilitating mental illness to criminal behavior, trauma experienced in developmental years can be detrimental to a child’s future. Without support, the risk of detriment is much greater.

So, what do I mean by harmful parents anyway?

These are the toxic parents that are not putting their child’s life in danger by direct means. In other words, they are not abusive towards them in the most severe sense of the word, and removing their children from home is not an option.

Instead, these are the emotionally abusive parents that constantly invent new ways to tell their child that they are worthless. These are the addicted parents that fail to buy proper groceries. These are the neglectful parents that do not take interest in their child’s life. These are the physically abusive parents that know how to not leave a mark.

Often times, these parents are a combination of all of the above.

---

1. WITH ALL SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE, DO NOT IGNORE YOUR GUT

Denial is very real when you suspect that a child is being harmed. You can easily convince yourself, in all kinds of ways, that “it can’t be that bad” and “you shouldn’t get involved”.

2. BELIEVE THE CHILD THAT OPENS UP TO YOU

It takes immense courage for a child to seek help. If they chose you, they trust you. Please listen with an open heart and believe them.

3. DO NOT TAKE THEIR PARENTS WORD FOR IT

Just because they are bad parents, it does not mean that they do not want to be parents. Many are well versed in how not to jeopardize custody of their child, or sabotage their own image as a capable parent.

4. ASK, AND ASK AGAIN

Children who are experiencing abuse are often conditioned to believe that their experiences don’t matter. Downplaying and denial are common responses. Just because they have told you once (or even twice) that everything is okay at home, it does not mean that it is.

5. ACCEPT THAT YOU MAY NOT GET INSTANT GRATIFICATION FOR YOUR EFFORTS

Your kindness may go seemingly unappreciated. The child themselves may not even realize your goodwill until they have matured and reflect back on their life.

6. VOCALIZE THAT YOU CARE ABOUT THEM

This can be as simple as asking a student how their weekend went, or as substantial as telling a child in your extended family that you love them.

7. VOCALIZE THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THEM

This may be the most impactful action you can take. Almost nothing will promote fortitude more than telling children that they are brave and capable. Positive reinforcement is crucial when a child is being, or has been, verbally and emotionally abused.

8. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO LISTEN

If you are unable to provide them with access to therapy, provide them with opportunities to talk with you. Take them to get ice cream, offer to go for a walk, become a trusted friend.

9. ASK THEM HOW YOU CAN HELP

Depending on the age of the child, and how close your relationship is, help will look different. For example, a younger child may respond that they need a comforting toy, but an older teenager may express that they need a safe place to stay when things are bad at home.

10. CHECK IN AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN

Even if your life, or relationship with the child, makes it impractical to have a weekly hang out, brief follow ups, asking how they have been, will have significance.

---

Through becoming an adult and mother, I have gained perspective. Today, I am able to fully appreciate how adults from my childhood positively and negatively impacted my life as a whole. From the adults that disappointed, to the adults that supported, they all had a role.

I sincerely hope that my reflections and advice will encourage you to recognize and support the child in your life that is living with harmful parents.

Always remember, there is no act of compassion too small. And never underestimate encouraging words. They can support for a lifetime.

OBTAINABLE FETISH – A WORD FOR THE “EXOTIC” GIRLS

From a young age, you received signals that marrying a white man would raise your status.

Signals from the media, from society, signals from your mother.

The signals that devalued your male counterparts were so strong that you came to resent your own identity. You felt less than.

Your societal insecurities lead you to become gracious of admiring men whose intent was only to have you in their bed.

Not knowing it was temporary, you felt beautiful, unique, special.

Special until you realized that you were a conquest. A checked box. A fetish.

Because, he had been receiving signals too.

Signals from the media, from society, signals from his father.

His signals told him that you were exotic, obtainable, submissive.

Knowing it was temporary, he felt powerful, entitled, superior.

Replaceable and devoid of value, he put you away with the other trophies. All hollow beauties that unwillingly perpetuated his belief that you were always his property.

Who found who? Who was the match maker? The media? Society? Your parents?

To the girl wondering if he loves you, or if he desires you for the fetish that the world has reduced you to…

Know, you are more than the sum of your parts. You are whole, you are human, and you are you are worthy of love that honors your mind, body, and soul.

It is the world that needs to raise its status. Not you.

I WOULDN’T BE SELECTED

Every mother knows the scenario. Your toddler is in the other room playing, when the room suddenly goes silent. Then, CRASH, tears, and “Mama!” is desperately cried out.

You rush in, assess the situation, and scoop up your little one. And in that moment, you are so relieved that you are there to provide the comfort and cuddles that they were hoping for.

I am forever changed because it has become instinctual. From now on, every call to “Mama” will hit that primal spot in my heart like a bullseye, and call me to action.

Which is why I wouldn’t be selected.

I am incapable of avoiding the visceral response that occurs when I hear a cry for mama. So there is nothing that could convince my soul that when a grown man named George Floyd called out to his mama, it was anything but a desperate cry for help, comfort, and life.

We just passed the one year mark of Covid being declared a pandemic, and my home town is currently bracing for the trial of Derek Chauvin. So far, six fellow Minnesotans have have been chosen to serve as jurors. One of six are women.

So this morning, I can’t help but wonder, is it because mamas are women?

WHO DO YOU LOOK LIKE?

I will always remember the bright Florida day that my best friend and I decided to spread out a blanket to hang out and read our new teeny-bopper magazines. We were still middle school preteens, and we especially loved the quizzes that would answer our burning questions about grown-up things like crushes and makeup.

Now, I don’t remember whether or not my crush was predicted to ask me to the dance, but I do remember one question. “Which celebrity do you most look like?”

My friend was a dead ringer for Full House’s adorable DJ Tanner, but I was at a complete loss. Trying to be helpful, my friend suggested, “Christina Ricci, maybe?” True, Christina and I shared the same first name, and her hair was brown, but the comparisons definitely stopped there.

The crazy thing is, Christina Ricci might have been the closest thing to a celebrity look-alike that I had back then.

I was a frizzy-haired girl mixed with my mom’s Mediterranean dark waves and my dad’s Filipino/Mexican brown skin. If I could have come up with a single young Latina or Pacific Island-looking actress, they would have been a passable response. But not a one came to mind.

Obviously, I understand that a teenage magazine quiz is not to be taken seriously. However, this simple question resulted in one of my earliest memories of feeling inadequate due to lack of representation.

Conscious or not, I knew that our culture celebrated light-skinned girls on TV. After all, they were the ones that were most often depicted as living in nice two-parent homes, being popular in school, and getting the boy.

At an impressionable age when self-worth is so fragile, this was just another obstacle blocking the view of potential. After all, representation matters.

Fortunately, we are gradually progressing as a society. From Disney to politics, women of color are appearing in leading roles more and more. And, because of this, fewer and fewer girls will have feelings of inferiority because of who they see in the mirror.

So today, on this International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to celebrate the women breaking through society’s outdated racial barriers. Their perseverance will certainly have a positive effect for generations to come.