In our previous posts, we explored how family trauma can shape your parenting without you even knowing it, and then looked at six specific ways trauma shows up in your daily parenting. Here are nine concrete steps you can take to interrupt these cycles and create healthier relationships with your kids. Often, we think we "need" our child to put on their shoes or brush their teeth, but these aren't actually needs — they're strategies. Kids go through normal developmental phases, and plenty of challenges have nothing to do with our past trauma. Final ThoughtsBreaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma is about becoming more aware of how your past experiences influence your present reactions, and gradually developing new ways of responding that serve both you and your children.