Parental influence is the most important on a child`s development because he/she is the first friend to the child. The behavior of a child is highly affected by how the parents have handled the past and present life of that child. Whether the child is inquisitive, is self disciplined, empathetic and flexible, does not like conflict or is always ready to practice what was taught in relation to the happening of the environment in that particular time is all about what kind of teaching the parents gave.
On the other hand, the kind of freedom and leisure that parents give to their children mean a lot because these are the places they get people to socialize with hence different teachings can come up with or without the knowledge of the parents. The parent`s social class is also another way that can help in categorizing the ambitions they have for their children. Most children in the upper and lower class often tend to know their rights and hence expect a lot of happiness and good things to come out from generally what they see life is meaning to them. This is so poisonous to them because it will encourage them to struggle for what their belief is about life whether good or bad.
The parent`s social class, according to the study from The University of London’s Institute of Education which took into account various issues such as the size of the family and the cultural group that different people come from. Greatly affect the well being of their children at school and their performances as well. It determines their lives both in the period of education and the adulthood life which in turn they will teach their children too, more than even the normal parenting procedures like the bed time stories amongst many others.
The study also proves that most children from families that parents are learned are more advantageous than them that are coming from uneducated families and mostly unemployed. It states that,” students who are from the most socially underprivileged homes where parents are always not having anything to be done and get income, are at least eight months behind the normal development compared to them that their parents are professionals (Charlene Andrew, 47).” The author of this study who was first to publish the study, Miss Sullivan Alice also added by saying that caring and upbringing of children in the best ways every parent desire is very important. This can be done very well when a rule that will only focus on parenting alone is not enough to deal with the results of problems with the social life of children.
Further, the kind of social group involved in as a parent must always affect the child`s development. This is because mostly at the age of five to seven children like to directly copy what the parents are doing. All in all, they may not fully copy only the parents but also from the elders or kind of people from that particular environment. Therefore it is upon a parent or guardian to protect the kind of groups he/she want the children to copy and get used to their teachings. During these ages, the child tends to ask a lot of questions in which they fully believe the answers that will be given to them. This hence forth remain to be what the child will live to abide in, it is also a factor that will determine the kind of a child he/she will be in life. When the child is in wrong hands of immoral behaviors and many other undesirable characters, he will learn the wrong deeds as right and will never accept the right in late stages of life.
Surprisingly, the family`s income is also another factor that will determine the kind of social class a child will be raised up in or get associated to. This is most part that the poor families get challenged because it may be not so easy to manage the money. The parent may not be able to provide the best nutrition to the children, good health care in terms of being taken to good hospitals when they fall sick. The parent`s income may also not be enough to afford secure places to live hence the children will be exposed to insecurity which can highly affect their lives. To add, the children will not be able to get associated to quality schools where they will get to learn more and practice a lot in life by just associating with others from families that are higher in terms of education and earning.
When the parents are passing through stress and look gloomy, the child will always have the same kind of face (Charlene Andrew, 32). Whether in class or any other place, the child will always seem gloomy because that is what they see most of the time while at home. Majorly, the families that pass through this kind of poverty do not have peace and there is always instability of the marriage. These kinds of conflicts even distract the parent’s attention to their children amidst many teachings from them. That is, if the parents are always not close to their children, it is very easy that they fall in the use of drugs or even getting into very bad activities such as sexual activities or become thugs and very many criminal activities.
It is the parent to guard the kind of friends that their children are associated to because apart from the teachings that they give to them, they will also get some teachings from the friends. Friends here, means everyone that the child is associated to whether as relative or a neighbor. The cultural practice that the child is brought up in is another factor that will always affect also the teachings of the parent. This type of a child will always abide in the practices culturally taught, the beliefs and misconceptions will always to him/her be the odder of the day. He will not always agree with people who may want to go against the idea that was culturally borrowed. Rectifying this stage is actually like trying to kill this person because they will never believe in you easily (Charlene Andrew, 62).
However, good parents must always know how their children are proceeding in everything either through their friends, teachers or any means that is trusted. Allowing them to play around and socialize with others is not bad but under good supervision as your child`s guardian. It is the parent that is accountable to the destiny of the children that they bring into this world hence it is upon them to take responsibility in nurturing their children to the potential they desire. This can be easily done when the parent tries to supervise even the child`s homework and even attend the playing sessions and may activities by the child.
References
Charlene, Andrew. The Marriage-Go-Round: The State of Marriage and the Family in America Today: Vintage, 2010.
Bower, Bruce "Humans: Recession alters parenting style: Mothers with gene variant became more aggressive". Science News 180 (7): 9. : 10.1002/scin.5591800706. 0036-8423, 2001
Robert Feldman, Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst: Child Development Third Edition
Harris. Judith "The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do," New York Times 1998
Warash, Bobbie. "Are Middle Class Parents Authoritative with a Touch of Permissiveness" Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 74. 22007 28-31.
Alizadeh, Abu Talib, Relationship between Parenting Style and Children's Behavior Problems. Asian Social Science, 7(12), 195-2011
Kordi Baharudin’ Parenting Attitude and Style and Its Effect on Children's School Achievements: International Journal of Psychological Studies, 2(2), 217-222. 2010
Rinaldi, Howe, Mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles and associations with toddlers’ externalizing, internalizing, and adaptive behaviors: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(2), 266-273. 2012
Rivers, Mullis, Relationships between Parenting Styles and the Academic Performance of Adolescents. Journal of Family Social Work, 15(3), 202-216. 2002
