If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you likely heard the phrase ‘tough love.’ In short, it was a catch-all for parenting tactics that prioritized resilience and obedience. Parents told us it ‘built character.’ Looking back, however, many of these common practices were not just ‘tough.’ In fact, they were deeply damaging. Modern psychology, for example, has shown us the profound, negative impact of these methods. Consequently, we now correctly identify what was normal then as abuse. Let’s re-examine the parenting many of us survived.
