Children are new beings in this world and do not know anything about it. This leaves them with no option other than relying on the society in order to learn about the world. They look at what parents do and hence they start behaving like them. The learning process of a child is a psychological process that takes place in stages. The history of childhood explains that children come into this world as models that are ready to be shaped into anything. The process of being a leader begins from childhood, the role models and the social set up facilitates these characteristics (Margaret 10). The parent, guardian and society are an icon in the development process of a child. It is not possible to learn without following a set example and this is the message from both readings.
As children grow up and face challenges, they ask their parents what to do and act according to their advice. In other cases, they will look at how their parents react in the same situation and act the same way. An example is when a girl is left with her baby brother at home and he starts crying the girl will try to remember what her mother does when the baby cries and do the same that is soothing the baby (Margaret 5). The child acquires these learnt traits from the parents. The child is then able to develop the skills learnt in a greater way. This explains why when children are brought up well and taught the right skills they are able to develop them and become better than their parents.
In both readings, the authors present children as naïve creatures. However, they only believe their parents who they trust and copy their habits. Children believe that their parents are the only people who are right and that they can do no wrong (Margaret 12). This makes them emulate what their do parents all the time. Finally, children grow up with the same behavior as those of their parents. An example is when children use vocabulary that they hear their parents using because they believe their parents cannot use vulgar vocabulary.
Society has the greatest role to play in molding a child. Childhood is a stage where all ideas regarding social and political matters are molded. It is also a period where the economic and moneymaking skills are instilled in a child. Teachers and people around them always advise children that their parents are their best teachers (Allison and James 13). Acting on this advice, they look at what their parents do and copy their behavior. An example is a teacher who advises her students to work hard like their parents and the students do exactly that.
The social model of childhood explains why children learn fast and pick up most skills from the society. A child is only able to understand at an older age things that they are able to relate with from their childhood. In a situation where children are left alone with no adults around them they start behaving the way they see the adults behave when they are around for example when left home alone they will start doing house chores that they see their parents doing. In conclusion, childhood is a stage that is guided by the society. A child is only able to develop when the social environment is conducive for growth and learning.
Works Cited
James, Allison, and Adrian L. James. Childhood: toward a theory of continuity and change. Kinsley: Starmat, 2001. Print.
King, Margaret L. "Concepts of Childhood: What We Know and Where We Might Go." Renaissance Quarterly 22 June 2007: 12. Print.
