Phrases such as “You are overreacting,” “That is nothing,” or “Do not be silly” may seem harmless in the moment, but they leave a mark. Children are still learning how to realise and understand their own emotions, and they often depend on parents to help make sense of them.
When feelings are brushed aside too often, a child may begin to doubt their own reactions. They may decide that what they feel is inconvenient, embarrassing or not important enough to share. The result is emotional withdrawal, not because they feel nothing, but because they feel too much and do not know where to place it.
