Family Fights
What to do if your parent's fighting upsets you
If your parents' fighting has upset you, you might want to talk to them about your feelings and what it was like to see them fight. Sometimes, when parents fight they forget that their arguing can make kids feel upset. If you tell them how you feel maybe they will stop fighting or at least explain to you why they are disagreeing.
If your parents' fighting gets REALLY bad (maybe even pushing, hitting or throwing things) it's important to keep yourself safe. The best thing to do is to go somewhere else in the house, close the door and find something to do until the fight is over. Do you have somewhere safe you could go (like a bedroom) if your parents are fighting? Is there someone that you could ring and talk to, who will help you feel less scared and make sure you are safe? Perhaps you could call a grandparent, a relative you trust or Kids Helpline.
Parents and kids fighting
Sometimes, it's hard for parents to see a kid's point of view or for kids to see their parent's point of view, and sometimes this ends up in fighting.
Common things kids and parents fight about include:
- schoolwork/homework
- household chores
- pocket money
- friends
- bedtime
- TV/internet use
If you have a fight with a parent it is common to feel lots of different things like:
- angry
- scared
- sad
- frustrated
- confused