Who Are Toxic Parents? [April 2024]

In this article, you will recognize about:

Who are toxic parents?
What are the types of toxic parents?
Signs of toxic parents
What are the effects of toxic parents?
What can you do when dealing with toxic parents?
How can you deal with toxic parents?

Toxic parents refer to the negative parenting behavior that affects negative or attacks to the child’s life. Toxic parents are compared to an “umbrella” which gives shelter but doesn’t fulfil the desires and basic needs of their children. They can be uncaring, harsh and unsupportive for their child.

It’s hard to grow up in the hands of it because they can damage the child’s mental or physical health that begins from childhood and continues till adulthood. These types of parents can also be source of the noteworthy distress through their words and actions.

They fail to provide a better and unstressed environment where their child doesn’t learn and participate in the society and also for the country. To deal with toxic parents you need to recognize toxic behavior and mental health appropriately.

What are the types of toxic parents?

There are mainly 9 types of it that can harm the child’s metal or physical health completely. When a child doesn’t feel loved by their parents or receive guidance from them, he faces many problems in his life.

1	Controlling parents	They over control their children. They are continuously interfering their children’s personal life.
2	Dismissive parents	Toxic parents ignore their children’s feelings and emotions. This thing makes them alone and uncooperative. They always remain depressed and disappointed from their lives.
3	Drug abuser parents	They use narcotics and are drug addicted. They mostly use drugs in order to overcome depression and anxiety. Long term use of such drugs develops suicidal thoughts in them.
4	Neglectful parents	Toxic parents don’t give any importance and attention to their children. This thing has impact on the children both physical and mental health.
5	Abusive parents	These kinds of parents harm the mental health of their children. This thing affects the children who often struggle with the trust issues and self-respect problems.
6	Under-involved parents	They don’t give parental guide to their children. Their children may not be well-stable in society due to lack of guidance.
7	Narcissistic parents	Toxic parents attack on their children’s mental health and make them self-loving. They make their children selfish who have no humanity and pain for others. They always remain busy in their own life.
8	Overbearing parents	These types of parents don’t permit their children to make mistakes. Such children feel hesitation before taking any decision. Toxic parent’s overbearing behavior doesn’t allow the children to become an independent adult in their practical life.
9	Unsupportive parents	Toxic parents attack on the mental health of a child. Through it, a child may feel insecurity and unprotected that impacts on his whole life. He always takes help from others in his affairs.

Signs of toxic parents

When the needs of parents are not fulfilled and they face very tough life from childhood to the adulthood, they become distressed. They don’t understand the needs of the kids properly. They create a harmful environment and fail to fulfil the basic needs of the kids affecting the child’s body and mind. It also increases the toxic stress or anxiety in the daily life of child.

It prioritize their own needs to the child’s needs and never understand the feelings and emotions of their children.

There are many signs of toxic parents which can affect seriously the life of child. These are:

They are mentally disturbed. They don’t provide love, care and protection to their kids.
They are physically abusive and beat their kids in angry mood.
To punish your kid in harsh way or in front of others damages the child’s self-respect and confidence.
Such toxic parents don’t give love to their kids.
Hurting child damages child’s mind and body.
They are strict, and walk like a guard with the kids. They follow unrealistic rules.
They are critics and criticize every act of the child.
Such parents always twist the truth to achieve their own needs. They give importance to their own desires and don’t understand their kids’ wishes.
They are interfering in every step of achieving their kids’ goal.
They are rigid and don’t forgive even the negligible mistakes of the kid.
Over controlling the kids is the problem of toxic parents.
They disturb their children’s personal life and don’t keep any personal space for them.
Toxic parents force their kids to follow their own opinions and values.
They show no confirmation for their children.
Understanding the needs and emotions of children lacks in toxic parents.
They are uncooperative and uncaring.
They also don’t want their children’s friendship.
They don’t treat their children with love and respect.
Giving importance to the kids’ goal and occupation is not the priority of toxic parents.
They don’t motivate their kids.
They believe that they are always right in everything.
To accept their mistakes is far away from them.
Toxic parents desire that their kids must read their minds and act upon unspoken words.
They never apologize for their mistakes.
They don’t permit their children to take any decision.
Toxic parents always blame others whey they do any mistake.
Screaming, yelling and calling names to the kids affects their children’s life completely.
They lack sympathy and understanding to their kids.
Toxic parents don’t do anything that their children want.
They don’t allow their child to express his honest feelings.
They are over- involved in their kid’s life.
They are not only negative for their kids but also increase stress for the child.
Toxic parenting includes over controlling, blackmailing and blaming.
They aren’t comfortable when their kid is happy; they become jealous to him.

What are the effects of toxic parenting?

Growing up in the hands of it has negative effects on child’s entire life because you can be depressed, anxious or take drugs to get rid of it. Children may show these signs in the early life with the relationship of parent’s negativity. Such negative thoughts affect their children both mentally and physically. Those effects can go with them even into their adulthood.

Following are the effects of toxic parenting:

Mental health of children can be affected in the childhood.
Children can be stressed, anxious and the patients of depression.
They can be the victim of mental illness.
Suicide attempts are also possible among children.
Your children are always guilt-ridden.
In adulthood, they can face difficulty to control emotions including anger with the parents.
Low self-esteem problems occur in their life.
You face lack of confidence and are self-critic in the adulthood.
The children of toxic parents are alcoholics and drug addicted.
When children cannot get support, care and love of their parents, it affects negatively on them.
Children can feel insecure and unsafe.
Self- sabotaging is quite common among such children.
In adulthood, it’s difficult for you to handle criticism of others and face failures.
You don’t spend time for your self-care.
Don’t try to reason with them.

How to deal with toxic parents?

Toxic parents can be selfish for their needs and keep excellent lifestyle. They never think about their kid’s basic needs and also prefer their own viewpoint in front of others. Growing up with these kinds of parents is not easy. It can impact on the child’s mental and physical health.

Providentially, you need to understand how to deal with toxic parents. So, you can feel better. You should manage your relationship with your parents either you are living at home or out. Moreover, you should focus to work about your feelings and to learn self-care and respect.

To handle or deal with these types of parents, you should know about the following important methods:

Avoid taking the responsibility for their feelings or needs.
Use effective communication skills for overcoming any issues with toxic parents.
Accept that you cannot change them.
Stop talking what they say to you personally.
Limit what you tell them about yourself and your life.
Boundaries are essential keys to deal with toxic parents.
You don’t need to explain in front of the toxic parents.
You should try to practice self-care, self-love and self-respect.
Set a support system in the form of insurance. Getting help from other people in your life is important.
To create an emotional distance is important to cope with toxic parents.
You should know what you can control or what cannot.