These moms and dads may be too involved in their children s lives, not allowing them physical or emotional privacy. They also may not allow their kids to make their own mistakes. In most cases you see controlling parents who don t want their children to have, or talk about, their feelings, Lees says. Mom or Dad wants everything to look fine to the outside world, to project an image of the perfect family. Sadly, this ethic of perfection sometimes appears in Christian homes.
Believers can hide severe dysfunction at home by putting their best faces forward at church.
Children often contribute to this scenario by erecting false fronts. But an image of perfection often signals deeper problems. When you see a perfect family, that s a red flag, Lees says. No family is without problems. Some conflict is normal.