Role of parents in the social and emotional development of children
The availability of parents in close proximity to their children especially in the initial stages of their growth is crucial to the children’s social and emotional growth. Children have the tendency to form strong emotions on their feelings and when they are convinced of an aspect it is extremely hard to make them think otherwise. If a child grew up in an environment of abuses and mockery, it becomes hard to convince such a child of self appreciation and recognition of others. This is because they have not grown up in such environments and all they know are negative sentiments from their parents whom they trust. The identity of a child is shaped by the behavior and actions of those closer to them such as parents, caregivers and close family members (Laura, 2012).
The absence of parents’ presence in the lives of their children makes such children adopt antisocial behaviors such as indulging in drug abuse and engaging in other social vices such as premarital sex. This is because such children were never taught the need for observing social values such as chastity and avoiding the vices. Kevin was born in a well to-do family. His parents were working in a blue chip company as accountants and were remunerated well. However, tight work schedules made Kevin not interact with his parents in any way because they arrived late when he was already asleep and left early the next day.
He only meets them when they find him watching movies and it is often rare. The company the parents work for used compensates employees for their annual leaves. This exposure has made Kevin adopt bad company at an early age of five years. He normally runs away from school and does not appreciate learning. He becomes angry when pushed to do his homework and prefers watching television. It demonstrates that he has not been nurtured to be an obedient boy as the closest people that can do this are the parents and are away most of the time. This is because parents are the best suited people to offer guidance and counseling to their children on the dos and donts in life.
Kevin failed to adopt a positive social development due to absence of his parents in his life from the beginning. The lack of sufficient interaction between Kevin and his parents made the parents lose track of the social and emotional development of their son. If the parents had flexible work schedules, they would have dedicated more time to learn, understand and guide their son in an appropriate way.
The story of Andrew is even more touching. His parents used to work in one of the retail chains as supervisors. Andrew was left in the care of nanny from the age of two years. His parents worked mostly at night shift, meaning that during the day they would be asleep. The employer only gave a one day off per week that his parents used to attend to urgent issues. The nanny that used to care for Andrew used to be harsh and could often mistreat him from an early age. It meant that Andrew grew having a difficult temperament that made it hard for him to relate properly with other people. At the age of seven years Andrew hated seeing any woman or lady including his mother. He developed a withdrawn and aggressive behavior towards women.
The lack of parental interaction between him and his parents left him at the mercy of an uncaring and abusive nanny that made him develop a negative mind towards all women. If his parents had adequate annual, weekly or monthly leaves, they could have bonded with their son and shown him parental love and affection that the boy never experienced as he ought to. This could have led to positive cognitive development in Andrew that could have avoided him developing a stereotypical mind towards women (Healy, 2004). This is because such thoughts can be harmful especially in later life.
It is fulfilling to watch Mr. Davis’ family when he, his wife and their two children James aged three years and Deborah aged only a year take a month long vacation together. Their parents work as bankers and they normally schedule their annual leaves together with permission from the management. They spend crucial time together where the parents demonstrate their love and understanding to their children. The parents understand the behaviors of their children in a more proactive way such that the response is well thought out for positive results (Medina, 2011). Such children are highly likely to grow appreciating norms and values in society. They are also highly likely to develop proper social behaviors even when they interact with other children.
The same case applies to Green’s family. The parents; Robert Green and Sicily work as technicians in an electronic company. They are both entitled to two days off in a week and also a month’s annual leave and they also do not work on weekends. They utilize this time to mould their three year old twins to be responsible people. This is through spending quality time together most of the time.
References
Healy, J. (2004). Your child's growing mind: Brain development and learning from birth to adolescence. New York. Harmony Publishers.
Laura, B. (2012). Child Development. London. Pearson.
Medina, J. (2011). Brain Rules for Baby: How to raise a smart and happy child from zero to five. London. Pear press.
