Parents and their Role in the lives of Children

The world is a huge place full of adventure; adventure packed with experiences of love or

hate, joy or sorrow, courage or fear, as well as hope or despair. These paradox of experiences can

be overwhelming for a child as he/she is still learning skills, thought processes, as well as coping

mechanisms. A child depends on both biological and external factors for growth and

development. He/she needs guidance and since the character of a child begins at home, parents

become the first teachers of a child. Parents set the foundation for a child’s physical, cognitive,

social, emotional, and spiritual development. They pave the way for children to learn, to adapt to

situations and their environment, and later on to become functioning members of society.

The value given to the parent’s role in helping shape a human being comes with

complexities in the manner of parenting; whereas one standardized correct approach to raising a

child is nonexistent. Factors like culture and values influence how parents approach their style of

parenting. Advancements in technology, specifically the Internet, also add to the multiple facets

of parenting because children are now widely exposed to the use of the Internet. Parents are

faced with the responsibility of managing the Internet use of their children as it comes with

benefits to education and socialization, as well as risks to their safety and wellbeing. From a

scientific standpoint, understanding parenting is crucial to the study of human development,

given substantial research evidence that how parents raise their children is cause and correlate of

various positive and negative outcomes, from school and work success to antisocial behavior and

mental illness (Alampay, 2014; Collins et al., 2000).

REFERENCE:

Alampay, L. P. (2014). Parenting in the Philippines. Science across Cultures: The History of
Non-Western Science.