Children are our most precious gifts.
As parents, the most challenging responsibility we have is protecting our children. We must realize the importance of protecting them, not only from the outside world, but sometimes from someone within our own homes. Many people suffer from verbal and emotional abuse from spouses and do not realize that the children, whether the abuse is directed at them or if they are only witnessing the abuse, are also affected. Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that attacks a child s emotional development and self-worth. This form of abuse can be just as painful as, if not more so, than physical abuse because the effects remain long after any physical injuries have healed.