I worried about it greatly. I was verbully abused and I still am by my father. I worried that I would do the same thing to my kids. Well.... I have a four year old and I have never done to her what my father did to me. I think you mentally set it in your mind that you don't want to do to your kids what your parents did to you. I never stood up to my father untill one day, my daughter was then one and a half, he called her stupid. I freaked out. I started yelling at him like there was no tomorrow. I told him it was one thing to do it to me and my brother and sister but he was NOT going to do it to my daughter. I grabbed my daughter and we left. Since then he has treated me and my daughter better. I don't think he even knew what he was doing! I hope this helps!