I work with couples and individuals struggling in their marriages. I find myself repeatedly saying, do not fight or argue around your children or anywhere where they may hear you. Children are very perceptive and will often do a number of different things to try to get their parents to stop fighting. When working with adults from families where fighting was the norm, clients report that they either become the mediator between their parents, tried to be the peace keeper or worked very hard at keeping their parents apart. Children find ways to adapt and manage the stress when around parents and caregivers that fight. Researchers now find that kids can hear arguing even when they’re asleep. This means that even if the kids are sound asleep, arguing parents’ impact their children. Here are a few quotes from the article:
“Some strands of research have gone so far as to suggest that dissolving a marriage might be better for kids than exposing them to high levels of conflict within a bad marriage.”
“And as for advice to quarreling parents, she says, the bottom line might be simple: Your kids are listening to you, even when they are asleep.” – SHANKAR VEDANTAM
For more information, please click the link below.
Source: NPR: Shhh, The Kids Can Hear You Arguing (Even When They’re Asleep)
