You Compete with Each Other
Do you or your spouse hate playing the bad guy when it comes to discipline? If you ground your kid and the other parent doesn’t back you up. The lesson learned will be that rules don’t apply and this gives ground for manipulation. You are a team now and should work together when there are parenting decisions to be made. Back each other up on punishments, even if you are a pushover. “You’re just teaching your children to become better manipulators ― and that kind of behavior carries on into adult lives when it’s seen as a strategy that gets results,” therapist Marni Feuerman told the Huffington Post.
You Don’t Communicate
If communication is not your thing, you might want to work on it. Being prideful and not communicating with your spouse will teach your little one that they don’t have to talk things out and encourages them to avoid issues. They will also learn to shutdown emotionally, or become passive aggressive when they are upset. If you are constantly yelling at your spouse and not listening to their feelings, this can impact your child into being pessimistic about relationships. Show them that communication does take work, and it is an important part of life in and out of the home. Make an effort to correct this, even if it takes you to therapy.
You Lie
