Some mothers are accustomed to shout at them for even silly matters. However, such habits often result in children becoming rebellious and disobedient.
Al-Riyadh newspaper recently interviewed a number of parents as well as children to highlight this important issue.
Housewife Umm Lama admits that she always loses her temper with her children and that this makes them nervous. “Even my two-year-old daughter becomes nervous. I am always keen to rein in my anger. But more often than not, I’ve been unable to do so. I lose my temper when I see children engaged in something they shouldn’t be doing. I shout at them without thinking about the consequences,” she said.
Rasha Muhammad, a first standard intermediate school student, says her mother is always losing her temper over trivial matters. “I’m very upset with my mom’s behavior. She scolds me and shouts at me, even in front of other people. She gets angry over trivial matters, such as failing to keep my bedroom clean and tidy,” she said.
Wud Khaled, another girl, says she loves and respects her mother very much. “My mother has several good qualities and she is an exemplary woman in many respects. I see her as a good friend as she is the only person with whom I have close relations. However, her habit of shouting at me for silly things is worrisome. I’m surprised to see her always losing her temper,” she said.
Abu Rayyan said his wife always loses her temper with their children. “Sometimes, I get the feeling that me and my children are in the army rather than in a house where love, affection and happiness is supposed to prevail,” he said, adding that he spends most his time outside.
Olya Ali, a mother of five, said her angry behavior has destabilized her family life. “However, pressures at home are what provokes most women to behave like this,” she said.
Noura Khidr, a noted writer, said she read many books on how to raise children and behave with them in an exemplary way.
“I take advantage of this as a mother. Reading such books would no doubt help parents raise and educate their children in the best manner, especially in their adolescent period,” she said, adding that properly understanding children will reduce the common tendency among parents to lose their temper over trivial matters.
Noura stressed that parents should not hesitate to show love and affection to their children. “Parents must have utmost care in dealing with children’s personal matters, especially during adolescence when major changes take place in physical features and behavior patterns,” she said.
Noted sociologist Ghadat Al-Shaman said that undesirable behavioral traits in parents have a massive impact on children. “This is more evident in the case of mothers than fathers. Broken relations with mothers are the major cause of adolescent rebellion,” she said, referring to a US study.
