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Why Forgiving Our Parents is Difficult
One of the biggest challenges we may face is to forgive our parents for our dysfunctional childhoods. These people are supposed to love and nurture us. Our parents or primary caregivers should encourage us, comfort us when we are hurting, build our self-esteem, and meet our needs. It really hurts when they don’t.
In my late teens, I realized that I was carrying a lot of anger and emotional pain because of my parents’ emotional neglect and abuse –both physical and verbal. Many people also struggle to deal with parental mistreatment and neglect. Pardoning parents have some unique challenges.
Some people do not want to admit that their parents harmed them. They live in denial mainly because they are afraid to face the harm that has been done.
This is understandable. Our parents are supposed to love, nurture, and meet all our needs. Parents and caregivers have the most impact on our childhood development than other relationships. They play a crucial role in our development. When caregivers fail, the results can be devastating.
When my parents were verbally and physically abusive, I blamed myself for the mistreatment. I believed that I was a stupid, inferior being who deserved to be punished. I suffered from low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. It took years for me to heal from these things. These…
