Introduction
Raising a child from birth can be a big deal and quite a job, many couples have found that it is a necessary evil in order to make sure that the child grows up knowing about the various aspects of the world around them. Coincidentally, a newborn do not yet have the concept about the world until they get to be toddler age and they learn a lot more than what not to do regarding certain behaviors. Adopting a child that is already toddler age presents its own set of challenges, it can leave parents trying to figure out whether they are coming or going and flabbergasted.
New parents even adopted parents have often sought the counsel of those who have children so as to compare notes and raise that child accordingly, there are couples who believe that following a specific pattern when it comes to raising children is best. Of course, one could argue that this is where it becomes necessary to consult a professional, but that might take money that people do not have. A parent’s guidance of a 4-year-old toddler is everything, aspects such as child care, teacher-student relationships, popularity with friends and the impact of socialization both at home not to mention at school as well; all of these are important.
There are other significant factors that a 4-year-old needs to be informed of such as their culture’s impact on education and vice versa, these values are the key to that toddler’s establishment of their sense of self-concept. All of these will one day take part in helping the toddler grow into a healthy and mentally capable human being.
Question 1 & 2
Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory comprises five phases that delivers an understanding of the relationship between the environments that the parent is raising the child in and the attitudes that coincide with their child’s development, this can be anything from certain perspectives on certain issues to disciplinary tactics. The theory is geared toward certain reactions from the adult to the child, it is important that 4-year-old toddlers know this because their development and how they see the world is at stake. For example, a man presents a great idea that makes it easier for children to get ice cream during the summer, and another guy shows blueprints with a short explanation of his idea. The result is that the guy with the blueprints gets the seal of approval and the man with the great idea gets the boot, the former goes home defeated then raises his children to believe that having a dream is pointless which will drive them to feel as if they do not have to worry about having a future that people can rob you of. Bronfenbrenner suggests, “The ecological theory does not deviate from the idea that those who are better educated are certain to raise children with a cheery outlook on life” (Bronfenbrenner, 38).
Authoritative Parenting has always been good for many parents because it gives the 4-year-old child a sense of insight into what the parents will and will not put up with. Joseph & John explains, “Authority is what many children need to grow up responsible, but it is okay to be lenient” (Joseph & John, 18). It is good for the family as well as it helps parents be and stay firm in the face of that child’s overwhelming behaviors, the teacher/counselor is a similar style that teaches that 4-year-old toddler to do what is right. An example is teaching that toddler that it is wrong to lie about taking an apple that belong to another kid, making that toddler return that apple the next day at school will teach them about consequences of certain actions. The child will grow up weighing their actions not to mention makes them responsible.
Question 3
The type of childcare that is relatively good for a toddler that is 4 year of age is the family based childcare, it is good for the child because it enables them to become familiar with their surrounding quickly. Also, this is ideal for that toddler to get familiar with other kids and this goes a long way because they learn about kids that are different from themselves not to mention they can get to know all of the children that are there as well. Some parents find that they cannot find childcare that is practically inexpensive and supervised, family based childcare is ideal in helping the toddler learn different skills that they can only learn being around other children.
Pertaining to childcare, there are a plethora of social factors that impact how families pick the desired childcare for a 4-year-old toddler. One of the factors is expense, certain families find that some children will get more attention if they get a specific kind of childcare that implies that they have money or are extremely wealth and are able to pay for it. Certain parents might feel inclined to make their choice of childcare based on their preference such as those who are deeply religious, these types of children might not be into doing such activities such as rough housing and tackle sports.
Other social factors that might influence a couple’s choice of childcare could lie in the possibility of desiring their child to hang out with children who are deeply educated or children that come from families that take education very seriously, some parents feel that this might motivate their children to unearth some hidden talent or become able to do something by just being around other kids their age. Couples that have children that are toddler age have been known to put them in childcare so they can be around children based on their race, this will cause them to see racism instead of seeing unity.
Question 4
Technology is becoming increasingly more powerful and easier to use with each passing day, new generations of children are learning how to use that technology to do with as they see fit whether it is wasting time on social media websites or creating profiles on the various websites such as Instagram. Although it is up to many parents to monitor their children’s activities on the computer, a typical 4-year-old can stumble onto sites that are rich with adult language and content not to mention become a follower of the wrong crowd on the internet.
Safe technology has been implemented in order to keep toddlers that are 4 years of age and younger from accessing harmful content on the internet that is not meant for their eyes lest it corrupt them, this is also ideal in making sure that the 4-year-old becomes familiar with boundaries on the internet such as the kind that they would encounter if they became a cyberbully. Some parents find that it is easier to password-protect certain websites that they do not want their children going to, and disabling social media on both cell phones and blocking entry to it on the computer can ensure that the child is protected from unnecessary garbage.
Social Media can impact a child especially an impressionable one that is 4 years of age both positively and negatively, one negative way that it can impact a 4-year-old child is that can easily start wasting all of their time on exploring every aspect of that social media site. The additional consequence to this is that it can ultimately leave them open to other online dangers such as attracting the wrong kind of people that can hurt and damage them in very emotional ways that can scar them for life, this can also give them an outlet to post whatever they want about whoever they want. On the other hand, it can also affect them in a positive way as well such as using it as a tool to catch up on the certain matters of interest as such as birthdays, homework help and certain events in the community that are good for kids.
Question 5 & 6
The roles that ethnicity and culture are central to the development of any 4-year-old child because the child needs to know as well as understand who they are. Furthermore, the cultural aspect helps them to understand how kids value certain principles and how they are seen. The importance of this lies in how that child acts based on certain cultural influences, an example of this is how some children in some cultures view certain activities. A child in one culture might feel as if trying a new lunch food would be fun whereas another child from another culture might feel as if they are not ready, different children come from different cultures that shape their self-concept. Marshall reported, “Children are influenced by their culture, understanding that is what shapes them” (Marshall, 20).
The ethnicity aspect plays its role in any 4-year-old child’s development because it tells them the story of who they are, their origins and the ability to cooperate with other children of other races. This is instrumental in their self-concept because it, to a lesser extent, categorizes them. In other words, the 4-year-old child will become familiar with what is tolerable within certain races and what is not tolerated. There are several ways that new parents can create opportunities for the child to learn about their culture, one of several ways is by taking them to open parks to play with other kids, story time at the library and they would learn how to get along with other children on different field trips in which the parents can chaperone.
4-year-olds are going to make mistakes and it is important to never make them feel bad about those mistakes because it can have damaging repercussions on their self-esteem and positive attitude. Encouraging a child to do their best can help them see that perfection is not central to having high self-esteem, and always making time to spend with the child uninterrupted can give them have a positive attitude about spending valuable time together.
Question 7 & 8
Home socialization can be defined as the beginning of important lessons that will benefit the child well into adulthood, it is where many children eventually grow up learning different aspects of life such as right and wrong. It is an important venue for a child because the parents as well as the family are the ones that the child are learning from, this can be seen as a positive safe haven for a 4-year-old because they can make a lot of mistakes and have room for growth not to mention learning from those mistakes. For example, the child might learn and emulate an adult language. The child would not get reprimanded for copying a nasty habit, but they will learn what it means and why they should or should not do or say it. Heslinga & Nevenglosky suggests, “The beginning of all socialization starts at home, it is within the home that children are taught what is acceptable within society and what is not” (Heslinga & Nevenglosky, 4).
The role that a teacher plays in the child’s life is a very important one, the teacher is the role model that teaches the child issues of tolerance and learning how to deal with the differences in people. Teachers also are capable of making certain children value certain critical life aspects such as kindness, and teaching them about the importance of respect for their peers as well as themselves. One example of this is teaching them how not to give up when something becomes too tough for them to handle.
Question 9
Positive peer interactions have been known to work wonders on children that are 4 years of age and older, this can teach children about the importance of respect for their peers’ boundaries. A prime example of this is when it comes to sharing something as small and trivial as a toy spatula to a cooking set, encouraging the toddler to wait their turn to play with the spatula will help them to respect personal boundaries such as taking items that someone had first. Another example is playing certain types of games such as hide-and-seek, trying to find the other children will teach that toddler spatial recognition not to mention teach them about certain objects in their environment. LaRowe reports, “Parents have to keep in mind that 4-year-old toddlers need positive peer interaction in order to be able to get along with other people” (LaRowe, 2016). Establishing rapport is another skill that children are able to learn through positive peer interactions, there is nothing more beneficial to a child then allowing them to interact with those around them; every child learns from each other.
One of the hardest tasks for many parents who either adopt a child or have children naturally, is trying to foster friendships and that can create problems for the child not to mention the parents. However, it is easier to foster friendships if parents are open to arranging playdates for their children with other children. This will enable children as well as those of toddler age to see who they get along with. Also, it helps children learn what it means to get along with other children and share in common interests.
Meeting and conversing with other moms could have friendship benefits such as carpooling which will give the children a chance to get to know one another, this will also help them foster friendships in the aspect that they will play with that child and their friends at preschool; more times than not this will develop into long term friendships.
Conclusion
Often times, children who continue to live a life surrounded by understanding and focusing on nature of family as well as the nature of children will get a job in social work or a form of social work such as psychiatry or family counseling. It is an important aspect for the profession because it deals with people in the society as a whole, and that includes children not to mention their various strengths and weaknesses. Monitoring certain developmental patterns with toddlers and people also go hand in hand with this profession because some of the developmental patterns can erupt into something dangerous or it can alter the child’s life in a certain way.
Any student who are fully aware of the various theories of socialization will be able to avoid such critical landmines as why some people and children refuse to obey authority or even why some of them choose to have more of a social life at school than they do with family at home, if the various people are living outside of the norm or what is expected to be the norm then it will impact their profession. Also, different abnormalities in certain socialization theories can cause an upset within the student’s profession.
Understanding child development will keep that student ever mindful about the various habits and experiences of children, an example of this would be if the student crosses paths with parents of children who only prefer to play with children of a certain type or race or even how cultural differences can have an nullifying effect on certain children in certain environments. It cannot be argued that child development is one of the more critical aspects of sociology and understanding it can open doors of insight into that child’s mind as well as why they are not where they are supposed to be developmentally. Furthermore, the knowledge is also handy for parents who have toddlers that age and have questions that they need answered.
Work Cited
Bronfenbrenner, Urie. "Ecological Models of Human Development." International Encyclopedia of Education 3.2 (1993): 38. Web. 4 May 2016.
Heslinga, Virginia, and Erica Nevenglosky. "Inclusion, Signing, Socialization, and Language Skills." Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education 2.9 (2012): 4. Web. 5 May 2016.
Joseph, Mary Venus, and Jilly John. "Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Development." Global Academic Society 1.5 (2008): 18. Web. 4 May 2016.
LaRowe, Michelle. "4 Tips for Fostering First Friendships." Momtastic Parenting. 2016. Web. 5 May 2016.
Marshall, Hermine H. "Cultural Influences on the Development of Self-Concept: Updating Our Thinking." Young Children 1.3 (2001): 20. Web. 4 May 2016.
