Introduction
Parents bear many responsibilities every time a child is born. Their responsibilities are recognized not only as morally but also legally. The constitution recognizes the importance of children and outlines the roles and responsibilities of parents in raising their children. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children and other international organizations are keen in guiding countries on how parents should be guided in the upbringing of their children. The education curriculum is, however also a major influence on the way children are developed until they become adults. But, the major responsibility lies with the parents who due to their influence determine the way their children end up becoming. Parents are always the first role models of their children and determine the direction their children take. For this reason, the parents are open to criticism either through being credited or blamed on how their children end up becoming. Parents are responsible for the outcome for their children and should be blamed for failure to raise their children as expected by the society.
Parents, on the other hand experience heartaches and joys, rewards and challenges of becoming parents. Depending, on how their children end up becoming and the relations they have between them. Unfortunately, most parents are not prepared or lack adequate knowledge on how they are supposed to raise their children. Parenting is a mystifying subject to many with everyone having opinions on which only a few people agree. All the same, parents have a responsibility to prepare each generation of the next generation for the physical, cognitive, social- emotional and economic situations. In which, their children will be able to thrive and survive, and the process will continue. Notably, this is the place where most parents can be blamed or credited depending on their success rates in being able to achieve this task. Most parents are, however, blamed at this task for failing to adequately prepare their children for these situations that are hugely influential on the generational accountability. Many psychologists have admitted that there are many factors that influence the development of children (Mosher, Day & Youngman, 2006). But, still parenthood is the ultimate common pathway to development, stature, adjustment and success (Barbara & Philip, 2010). Parents deserve credit or blame on whether they are successfully able to provide experiences that are believed to exert their significant and necessary influences to their children. Parents bear the blame if they are unable to control their children from being influenced by external influences negatively. There are many external influential factors that affect the children especially in their early developmental stages. Therefore, children require attention and where necessary much guidance on what is morally right and acceptable in the society. Failure to this, children are likely to adopt other values and cultures that might be wanting and unacceptable in the society.
Cognitive Development
Parents should receive credit if they seize the opportunity they have to enhance a strong positive parental influence and lessons to their children. These set an important base for the children to have a good cognitive process of development. The chance for parents enhancing positive parental influence and prolonged learning is an evolution for the extended period of human childhood (Jan, 2010)
Parents are strongly blamed on account of strong secular trends being propagated in the modern society. The today parent is faced with numerous challenges due to the many factors of influence which includes; employment, industrialization, advancement of technology among other factors. Most parents are unable to strike a balance of the overwhelming needs they have to attend to including raising their children in the right way. Notably, there are increasing cases of striking permutations in parenthood and the alteration of the family structure characterized by single parent headed households. Cognitive development of children is a peculiar work hence, marked by challenging demands, and requires frequent evaluations and changing and ambiguous criteria. Parents who are not aware of these tasks to ensure success in cognitive development of their children risks being blamed. Parents deserving credit ensure commitment, empathy and positive focus in raising their child development. Cognitive development is crucial and if compromised it may affect the development of other aspects of human development (Jan, 2010). Parents who emphasize in other human development aspects and take lightly the aspect of cognitive development as the work for the teachers are to be highly blamed for the way their children end up becoming.
Social-emotional development
The parents are responsible for helping their children to grow socially and understand the social values. The parents assist the children in social care giving that includes; a variety of verbal, visual, affective and physical behaviors. Indifference by children in social behaviors is a factor that is to blame to the parents who are supposed to show guidance to their children. Parents are given credit if they are able to engage their children emotionally and manage their exchanges particularly interpersonal exchanges. Social interactions between the parents and their children are examples of interpersonal exchanges. Parents can enhance the social-emotional development by fostering openness, emotional closeness, listening to their children (Jan, 2010). These helps children to feel valued approved and accepted. Through these actions the parents are able to instill positive values, attitudes and beliefs to their children. Most parents receive credit for helping their children to regulate their emotions and to influence their communicative styles which children use to establish meaningful and sustained relationships with other people.
Various Researches conducted have identified typologies of promoting socio-emotional development in children (Mosher, Day & Youngman, 2006). These are mainly, for the purposes of assisting parents in achieving the highest levels of social-emotional development in their children. Credit is for the parents who seek efforts in ensuring they gather sufficient information to guide them on how they bring up their children. Parents have different categories of giving care to their children that constitutes of demanding and diverse tasks (Barbara & Philip, 2010). Parents who are unable to recognize these tasks or avoid them are to be blamed for the way their children end up. Parents, who recognize, esteem and engage in these important tasks of looking after their children and ensuring they are successful in executing them are to be credited. Consistency is an important aspect in the parenting roles for effective social-emotional development of children. Parents who abandon their duties or fail to be consistent in executing their roles are to be blamed for how their children end up becoming.
Different styles of raising children by parents are to be blamed or credited for the outcome of the children’s behavior. Parents who acknowledge these factors are keen on adopting a style that is good to raise their children.
Conclusion
In everyday life, things do not always go the right way or as expected. In the same way, children do not always go well and do according to what they have been shown by their parents. Factors like poverty and other emerging issues hugely affect the ability of the parent to influence their children in a positive way. However, there is growth in information and support programs in different institutions like school to ensure children become responsible and respected members of the society. Parenting has numerous challenges and benefits however; parents bear the greatest responsibility to guide their children in the right way. Parent’s success in raising their children increases chances of having a responsible society and better generations to come.
References
Mosher, R., Day, J. & Youngman, D. (2006). Human Development across the Life Span: Educational and Psychological Applications. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Barbara, M. & Philip R. (2010), Theories of Human Development, New York; Cengage learning Press.
Jan, C. (2010), Children’s Rights and Human Development, New York: Mac Millan publishers
