The Effects of Parental Anger Bursts

Lack of Behavior Improvement

• You might feel better after you lose control and angrily shout at your child to pick up her clothes for the 10th time. The truth is that consistent angry outbursts do little to alter your child's behavior, according to violence prevention experts at the Love Our Children USA website. Instead of going to pick up her clothes, your child might ignore you or respond with an angry comment of her own. If you constantly lose it and get angry with your child, she might simply tune you out to avoid the unpleasant feelings associated with your anger.

Fear

• In your finer parenting moments, you would never want to harm or scare your child. Angry outbursts can do just that, however, notes Aha! Parenting. Imagine someone standing over you and shaking their finger while screaming at you to put your shoes on or do your homework. To a small child who relies on you for her every need, this can shake her to the core. Over time, your child can get used to your outbursts and give up on even trying to please you. This can harm your relationship and result in your child looking elsewhere for comfort when you lose it.

Child Anger

• If your child associates anger with screaming, hitting, slamming doors or throwing things, she is more likely to engage in those behaviors herself. As she gets older, you might find her bedroom door in your face when asking her if she finished her homework for the third time. You don't like being treated like that, and neither does your child. Appropriate expressions of anger go a long way toward teaching your child acceptable ways to let someone know how she feels, which is vitally important as she goes to school, gets a job and someday has children of her own.

Emotional Abuse

• Angry outbursts can become the norm, rather than the exception. Over time, your anger can result in symptoms of emotional abuse, which the Prevent Child Abuse America website describes as words, actions or indifference that result in impaired growth and development. If your child shows a dramatic shift in behavior, aggressiveness, bed wetting if she's potty trained, anti-social behaviors or depression, your angry outbursts could be classified as emotional abuse. If this is the case, get help for yourself and your child right away. This helps you learn to control your anger and find better ways to express it, while helping your child deal with her feelings about your anger.