Parents and their Children

As a child grows up it may appears as a simple matter of blowing out a different number of candles each year. However, there are multiple psychological factors involved in this process. The factors include parents’ role in the child’s life, peer pressure, the culture in which the child is raised, and television. These factors work together to shape a child’s social development.

Parents are seen as a child’s role model and support since birth. As a role model, their actions teach children the difference between right and wrong. As a support, they provide love and care. In addition to love, care, and knowledge, they exert control and provide discipline. Not all parents are the same because they are different individuals with different perspectives on how they want to raise their kids. Because of these perspectives, the types of parents are but not limited to authoritarian parents, authoritative parents, permissive parents, and neglecting parents.

Authoritarian parents, though severity varies, are those who exert complete control over their children and expect complete and unquestioned obedience. They often punish misbehavior and do not reason with policies. This type of parenting is unsympathetic and reserved creating space between them and their children. The results of this type of parenting style include but not limited to deficiency of social skills and low performance levels in some children and higher academic achievement in others such as in the Asian culture.

On a less severe end yet still strict are authoritative parents. Unlike authoritarian parents, authoritative parents set reasonable and achievable standards with limits. In addition, this parenting style encourages reasoning and discussion of rules. Because the...

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...rol is difficult to put upon. However peer relationships show linkage towards parenting styles as well as culture. Therefore, in my opinion, assessing control over one can influence the other which also results in balance.

These psychological factors play a crucial role in a child’s development. They are also very diverse and have a range of varieties resulting in individuals with every shape of perspectives and range of behaviors. Without them, then growing up would truly be simply blowing out a different number of candles every year. With them, I believe that another candle could mean one less rule or restriction from parents or an extra hour of television. With each change in candles the range of movies also increase from PG to PG-13. Growing up is not just change in your height and weight but also modification to your psychological mindset and social skills.