When Parental Influence Extends into Other Components of Life by sierra karner and violet wise Parents have a large amount of control over how their children view the world.
is more considerate of taking medication, while her dad fears that she may become dependent on the medication. Lawson’s father also was hesitant about therapy because she would have to be fully committed and in it for the long haul. Her therapist has a plan to slowly wean Lawson off her medication by six months if everything goes as planned.
Parental validation drastically contributes to this, going as far as affecting the mental health of their child. Wanting to live up to your parents’ expectations to please them has always seemed like second nature for most children, getting all A’s, winning the game for your team, or hiding your mental struggles in order for them to feel like successful parents.
“I take my parents’ advice pretty often because I want to do everything that they say and be the child that they want. What they tell me I do, if I don’t do it I feel like they’re going to think
Whether your parents are biological, adopted or an honorary parental figure. Their influence and opinions tends to leave a lasting mark on your views of the world and yourself. Mental health and the way you view and perceive things changes so easily. Ally Lawson believes that negative events that still affect her today progressed her anxiety and elevated her mental health issues. She lost her grandma, August 2018 and not even a year later she had to put her dog to rest. After losing two who you grew up with almost all of your life, along with losing them both so fast, takes a toll. Lawson has always struggled with anxiety. However, her parents brushed it aside and told her that she was exaggerating. Anxiety causes Lawson to have a hard time making new friends or asking for help from teachers. “Being scared that someone isn’t A parent yells at their child for getting a B on their paper. The parent tells the child that she isn’t good enough and needs to try harder. The words being exchanged make the child feel worse about themselves. going to like me or that somebody is going to think that I am stupid because of the constant worry in my head of what are people thinking about me, all day throughout the school day,” I don’t appreciate what they are saying or that I am rebelling Lawson said. against them,” Lawson said. She was hesitant with taking medication just because her father didn’t approve of it they soon Since being diagnosed, her parents have been there more often decided that it would be best for her, and her parents supported to support and be more considerate. “I think they didn’t want to her decision. realize that their kids have something wrong in their heads and that their parenting could contribute to why,” Lawson said. Lawson is getting better at recognizing the signs when her anxiety is starting to act up. People have begun taking her After being diagnosed by a professional and advised to take seriously when she talks about it rather than brushing it off. therapy, her parents allowed Lawson to begin sessions. Her mom Friendships have been the same but her extended family is all starting to realize the seriousness. “I think that they are in shock with it. Some of the things I’ve told them and they said that it was a lot to take in at one time because they didn’t know that anything was going on,” Lawson said. I have a constant need for perfection and validation, because
of how I was raised. If I get a ‘B’ in any of my classes I view it as failing,” Isenberg said.
She often finds herself anxious and will experience panic attacks because of the additional academic pressure that her parents have put on her. Out of her siblings, Lawson is the ‘smart one’ 11
