Do you feel like your parents hate you? Do you feel like they have nothing good to say about you or that they criticize you at every chance they get?
Do they fail to offer emotional support when things are tough? Or do they speak negatively about you to their friends or other family members?
In this article, we’ll explore the question ‘do my parents hate me?’. We’ll outline some signs that your parents aren’t showing the right kind of love and care that we will expect and offer some tips and advice on dealing with your situation.
Could a parent hate a child?
Sometimes, we really believe that our parents hate us. Whether you’re ten, twenty, or thirty years old, some people can’t get over the niggling sensation their parents have something against them, and the feeling stays with them throughout their lives.
Believing that your parents hate you can lead to low self-esteem and trust issues, so it’s important to really understand if the way your parents treat you is a sign of hatred.
We’re not always right – often, our parents do their best to help us become independent and learn about the nature of the world. However, some parents take things too far and make their children feel less worthy, valid, or loveable than they should.
As a result of poor or inappropriate parenting, a person believes that they deserve to be treated poorly or are somehow ‘less than’ others.
Some parents neglect or abuse their children, while others spray out harsh, unconstructive criticism anytime their child makes a mistake. These parents can instill in their children the sense that they hate them.
Even if the parent claims that they love their child, behaving immaturely, disrespectfully, or abusively toward them makes that child believe that they are hated and can cause some lasting psychological issues.
As a result, the child may learn that they are unworthy of their parents’ love and will suffer from self-esteem issues, relationship problems, and trust issues even in adulthood.
Teens vs. parents
When we’re teenagers, we’re likely to have some negative feelings toward our parents.
The adolescent years are a time of marked vulnerability and burgeoning independence. We begin to come to terms with the fact that we’re not children anymore, so we can no longer behave as such.
Still, we’re not yet adults and can’t enjoy the freedoms and independence offered in adulthood. As such, the teenage years can be a time of frustration and rebellion. Then, it makes sense that we may take a negative view of our elders, the people who get to set the rules and exert authority over what we can and can’t do.
Some teenagers view their parents, especially when they are strict, as authoritarian and believe that their agenda keeps them from enjoying their lives. However, most parents are simply worried about their children and do their best to keep them safe from harm.
Sometimes it may seem like they hate us, but in reality, they’re taking on a strict role to help us stay on the right path.
Still, some parents do more harm than good. Even when a parent believes they are doing their best for their child by keeping them at home and safe as much as possible, they may be jeopardizing their growing sense of independence.
Some parents are physically or verbally abusive toward their children. Please know that abuse is never acceptable.
Parents who abuse their children may be said to hate their children, but what’s closer to the truth is that those who abuse others are more than likely to hate themselves and cope with that feeling through mistreating others.
Why do I feel like my parents hate me?
It’s upsetting to feel hated by your parents. Sometimes, even the most loving parents behave in ways that may seem like they don’t like us, but it’s important to be able to distinguish healthy parenting from neglect or immaturity.
The following questions should help you paint a clearer picture of why you think your parents have negative feelings about you.
1. Do your parents take the time to listen to you?
There’s no denying that parenthood is one of the hardest jobs there is. Looking after children effectively requires a lot more than being nice and kind.
Parents have to work hard to secure finances for food, shelter, and their children’s education. Sometimes it can seem that parents don’t want to listen to us, but in reality, they’re focusing on ensuring our survival and well-being.
Still, loving parents will make sure they set aside at least some time to spend with their children and connect over what’s happening in their children’s lives as well as their own.
Perhaps it’s on the drive to school, over the table at family dinner, or over a phone call once a week or once a month, but a loving parent will find the time to ask their children how they are and offer support when necessary.
2. Do your parents offer emotional support?
When you turn to your mom or dad with an issue, how do they respond? Are they happy to listen? Do they show compassion, empathy, and understanding?
Do they let you cry or let you complain to them? Or do they dismiss you? Do they tell you to ‘just get over it’ or criticize you for not handling the problem alone?
Loving parents will make sure their children know they can come to them with any problem. They will teach children that their parent’s love is unconditional.
Even if they can’t fix the problem for you, they will be happy to listen and let you vent or express your worries and concerns.
If a parent is unable to be there for their children in this way, they may exacerbate the problem. They may create feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and isolation in their child and create emotional distance, which strains the relationship.
3. Do your parents treat your siblings differently?
When you hear your mother or father talk to your siblings, do they treat them with more kindness and compassion than they treat you? Do they go out of their way to help your brother or sister but fail to show you the same support? Have you ever overheard them complaining to one of your siblings about you?
Some parents treat some of their children differently than others. Age, maturity level, and the quality of the relationship all play a role in parent-child communication, and each parent-child relationship is different, even within the same family.
If you’re not sure if your parents treat you and your siblings equally, or if they’re easier on your brother or sister than they are on you, see what happens when you and a sibling carry out the same behavior. If they act like you’re in the wrong but behave differently toward a sibling of a similar age, they may be treating you unfairly?
4. Have your parents ever hit you?
Some members of the older generations still contest that it’s okay to hit a child if they misbehave.
Fortunately, the general view on the topic has changed a lot in recent years, and hitting children is no longer as commonplace as it once was. Still, some parents attempt to discipline their children with physical violence.
Parents who physically hurt their children can harm their child’s psychological well-being.
Children look to their caregivers for support and to learn about the world. They seek them out when they feel frightened or confused because parents are typically a source of life and affection.
If a parent, who is supposed to play the role of protector, becomes a source of threat, the child becomes deeply withdrawn and may learn to mistrust others, even in their adult relationships.
If your parents hit you when you were a child, you may have come to believe that they hate you, even if they were trying to discipline you.
5. Do your parents really hate you or do you hate them?
If you feel like your parents despise you, it’s important first to ask yourself if you feel that way about your parents. Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate our parents, especially when their parenting style is inappropriate.
Suppose they’ve ignored your feelings, always compared you to your siblings, or placed unrealistic expectations on you growing up and expressed disappointment and disdain when you’ve failed to meet those expectations. In that case, you may develop a sense of hatred for them.
Note that hatred of one’s parents doesn’t happen overnight. It’s usually the build-up of repressed emotions and suppressed expression. If you didn’t feel comfortable or supported enough to be able to call your parents out on their unhealthy behavior, it’s normal that you would now have some negative feelings toward them.
If you hate your parents, you don’t need to feel bad or guilty. Some people are more forgiving than others, and if you’re struggling to forgive your parents for their behavior or neglect, that’s okay.
The most important thing is not to repair your relationship with them but to make sure that you have a positive, healthy, and growth-oriented relationship with yourself. Once you reach that point, then you can start working on your relationship with your parents.
What can I do if my parents hate me?
1. Talk to your parents
If you believe your parents hate you, talk to them. Feeling involved by a parent has a significant impact on your self-esteem and sense of self-worth, so it’s important to clear the air and find out if they really hate you or if you’re projecting.
If you approach them and ask them if they hate you, backed up by the reasons why you think that way, they may reassure you that you’re loved and that they are only strict with you because they feel they know what’s best. You may disagree with them, but at least you’ll know where their behavior is coming from.
If you don’t live in the ideal world mentioned above, it’s still worth talking to your parents about how you feel. Letting them know how they make you feel may inspire them to change their parenting style that can benefit the relationship.
2. Try therapy
If our parents failed to teach us how to communicate effectively and have healthy, trusting relationships, then all of our relationships as an adult will suffer.
If you need help, a therapist or counselor can assist you with getting on the right track regarding your communication and relationship skills by addressing any difficult parent-child relationship experiences you had. They will help you address the feeling of being unloved or neglected and help you build and develop the skills necessary to reparent yourself.
Summary
There are many reasons why a person may believe that their parents don’t like them or even hate them. Sometimes it’s an overly strict parenting style; at other times, it’s a distinct lack of any care about what you do.
Whether your parents hate you or not, the bottom line is that your most important relationship is with yourself. It’s wonderful to have a healthy, positive relationship with your parents, but the truth is that not everyone gets to have that.
Life and the people in it are extremely complex, and some relationships get strained as a result.
If you’re struggling with your parents’ relationship, don’t be afraid to talk about it. Speak to them, or speak to a friend, a trusted family member, or a therapist if necessary.
