Psychology
Child development and parenting issues come hand in hand. There is always a direct relationship between the development of children and the kind of parenting styles used on them. Parents make use of a number of parenting styles; most of which play an imperative role in nurturing the characters of their children. This assignment provides an in-depth discussion and analysis of the findings of an interview conducted to identify certain aspects my childhood development at the age between day one and six years. The interviewee for this study was my mother and she was quite helpful in providing answers to the interview questions.
Discussion
Interview questions on parenting and discipline
When asked how she disciplined me when I did something wrong, my mother said that she was very strict when it comes to discipline. Despite the fact that she loved me as her only child at that time, she punished me whenever is did something wrong. She was not a permissive parent and neither was she neglectful. On the other hand, she was an authoritative parent who did not condone wrong doings. Despite being a loving and caring mother to me, she was not overbearing. I therefore grew up as a child equipped with proper coping skills and high in self esteem because of her parenting style.
My mother’s biggest challenge as a parent, she said, was multitasking between her career duties and parenting duties. She said she had to serve me and her job on equal proportions especially after her company gave her a maternity leave of three months only. This was a challenge because, as a loving and caring parent, she had to apply extra efforts in my upbringing. As a responsible parent, she also had to go to work.
Interview questions on language development
My mother confessed that “mom” was the first word I ever spoke when she was asked whether she could remember my first word. She further said that I was one and a half years old when she first heard me utter the word “mom”. In order to help me develop my language, she said she used infant-guided speech as a tool of getting my attention and aiding in my language development. She further explained that infant-directed speech makes use of gestures and higher-pitched intonations which are quite helpful in the development of language in children. My mother adapted to speaking patterns as I grew in order to suit my linguistic skills. As a result of these efforts, I was able to communicate effectively at two and a half years old.
Interview questions about emotional regulations
When asked how I regulated my emotions, my mother had quite an interesting story to tell. She explained that I literally dropped myself on the floor when angered about something. However, this used to happen when I had just tuned one year old. On some occasions, I bit people with my little teeth when upset. My mother further explained that this was not a good sign of proper emotional control especially since I was still very young. She explained that she had to do something to address my emotional regulation. She began by controlling her own emotions and avoiding little acts like yelling that I was likely to imitate. This, she said, made me realize that people needed not to express their anger through physical actions. As a way of helping me regulate my emotions, she also gave me behavioral guide while resisting the urge to push. By the age of two and a half years, she explained that I had completely changed my emotional regulation techniques. I was no longer the violent young kid who bit when upset and turned into an exceptionally calm kid.
When I got scared, my mother said that I always ran to her and gripped one of her leg against my chest as if I wanted to hide under her legs. She explained that this is typical for most kids but the fact that I would not let go once I gripped her leg made her realize that how I could get scared easily. She further explained that I was even scared of flying polythene bags and would scream to the top of my voice on seeing one when I was much younger. On some occasions, I could have nightmares and dream about the scary objects I had seen on that day. I could then spend the rest of the night in my mother’s bed. However, I became less scared of harmless objects as I grew older.
Conclusion
Childhood development is, therefore, a complex process that must involve effective parenting styles in order to nurture a child into a socially responsible and obedient adult. Virtually all the parents in the planet have had to struggle with imparting obedience in their children. In one way or another, children must be pushed (though not so hard) in order to embrace values taught both at school by teachers and at home by parents or guardians.
