A few months ago during the middle of the European confinement caused by Co-Vid, I found myself asking a friend how she was dealing with her own kids and her step kids during the confinement. I was not surprised when she replied "I want to drive to the woods, tie them up to a tree and pick them up in a week or so..."
We both laughed with a sigh of relief as we were booth able to relate to her frustration without judgement, knowing that even though there was a real desire to get rid of her children, she would never get around to it. As time progressed and the lock downs eased, I found myself addressing these issues during therapy more and more...
The following article (find link under the picture) shines some light on why it's really OK to have negative feelings towards your children and how by allowing ourselves to feel this, we can teach our children valuable lessons on integration, tolerance of uncomfortable feelings and self regulation.
Why it's OK to hate your kids...
By: Ruth Wyatt, MA, LCSW