New research indicates that attempting to suppress emotions can lead a parent and their child to become cold and less engaged with one another. Researcher Dr. Sara Waters writes, “That makes sense for a parent distracted by trying to keep their stress hidden, but the kids very quickly changed their behavior to match the parent… So if you’re stressed and just say, ‘Oh, I’m fine’, that only makes you less available to your child. We found that the kids picked up on that and reciprocated, which becomes a self-fulfilling dynamic.”

Journal of Family Psychology, April 2020