The upbringing of a child is a shared responsibility between parents and the child. However, parents play a pivotal role in shaping their children's lives. The Bible emphasizes, 'Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (Proverbs 22:6).
Effective parenting involves discipline, guidance, and setting a good example. Children learn by observing their parents first, and it's crucial to instill values, manners, and responsibilities from an early age.
Personally, I've witnessed the impact of parenting styles. My parents were disciplinarians, with my mother using non-verbal tactics and positive reinforcement to train us. However, our youngest sibling was overindulged and lacked discipline, resulting in behavioral and academic issues. Everyone around us saw the difference but my Mom saw it as nothing. I won't blame the girl because she was not properly trained like us.
This experience taught me that parenting significantly influences a child's development. When children misbehave, I blame the parents. We must take responsibility for our children's upbringing. A child you don't caution from misbehaving right from early will misbehave. There was a day when a friend of mine came to visit with her son. The child started jumping on the couch, from one couch to another, and he entered all the rooms, and the mother didn't care to caution him. That's too bad🤔
We can also view it from another angle. In today's society, it's alarming to see 'children raising children' and 'children versus children'. The ones who should be under the watch of their parents are the ones producing children. As parents, we must recognize our role in shaping the next generation. Let's try to provide discipline and nurturing and, at the same time provide support and guidance, which brings positive behaviors and responsibility in society.
Children emulate approximately 80% of our characters, values, and behaviors. The question remains: how are we raising them? Are we: setting clear boundaries and expectations? I understand some children might act out or rebel, regardless of their upbringing, as part of their quest for independence because as they grow older, they gain more autonomy and may make choices that will change them totally from their upbringing.
I once lived somewhere that looked so porous after marriage. Due to where I was coming from, I was not used to that kind of lifestyle and a thought came to mind that I wouldn't have to raise my children in this kind of environment, my husband too was observing because a child’s environment can greatly impact their choices and behaviors, often beyond parental control. I didn't want the influence of the environment over my children and we relocated to another place sharperly.
It is the parent's responsibility.
Parents have a very crucial role to play in shaping and molding a child's future right from the belly. We should learn how to speak positively, surrounding them with the altar of prayer even while they are unborn. We should learn how to keep them safe with positive words. If parents provide a supportive, structured, and nurturing environment, it may help the child make better choices.
It is the responsibility of the parents to provide the basic needs to these children but it will surprise you to see the children into menial jobs just to feed their parents at a very young age. What behavior is expected of such children in society? Why are we neglecting our roles as parents all in the name of being a career person? Can we really blame these children who misbehave in the society? Some of them lack parental care👌 While some parents are poor role models to their children. Don't let us forget we are a reflection of our children. We have different parenting styles we can adopt.
It is the child's responsibility.
A child coming from a good home should maintain the heritage of that home. They should try to avoid distractions and neglect negative influences that can destroy their lives. However, they need to grow independently, develop their feelings and thoughts, and also be fast in making decisions.
However, misbehavior can result from a combination of parental influence, individual choice, societal factors, social factors, peer influence, and other factors but the child bears the full responsibility for their choices.
All these are my thoughts on the #hivelearners writing contest.
The image is sourced.
