Last edited 03/24/08

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...that your daughter may be in an abusive relationship

Review these signs to see if it resembles your daughter’s behavior.

She apologizes for his behavior and makes excuses for him.
She loses interest in activities that she used to enjoy.
She stops seeing friends and family members and becomes more and more isolated.
When your daughter and her boyfriend are together, he calls her names and puts her down in front of other people.
He acts extremely jealous of others who pay attention to her, especially other guys.
He thinks or tells your daughter that you (her parents) don’t like him.
He controls her behavior, checking up on her constantly, calling and paging her, demanding to know who she has been with.
She casually mentions his violent behavior, but laughs it off as a joke.
She often has unexplained injuries, or the explanations she offers don’t make sense.
You see him violently lose his temper, striking or breaking objects.

If this describes your daughter and her boyfriend, find a suitable time to talk to her and ask her about it. You can download A Parent’s Guide to Teenage Violence, 10 Questions to start the Conversation (18 pages) to find guidelines on how to talk to your teen. You may also want to read A Parent’s Handbook: How to Talk to your children about Developing Healthy Relationships (18 pages).

These handbooks and others are published by Liz Claiborne, Inc. to promote teenage dating violence awareness. To download these resources you will need adobe acrobat. If you need further assistance, find a community resources near you or call the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.

Source: This information is from A Parent’s Guide to Teenage Violence, 10 Questions to start the Conversation Liz Claiborne, Inc., 2000. It is reprinted with permission from Liz Claiborne, Inc.
It was edited and expanded by MLAN.

Last Date Reviewed (no legal content): 3/24/08 (PLL/M.A.J.)

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