Parent-child relationship
INTRODUCTION:
The Parent-Child Relationship consists of a combination of behaviors feeling and expectation that are
unique to a particular parent and particular child. Every parent is different in his or her own way. These
are authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive styles. It is one of the most sensitive and emotional
relationship. Due to changing trend and generation gap, much has changed in terms of parenting styles
and in turn the behavior of children. Most of the South Asian countries like India and Pakistan follow an
authoritative parenting style. This is found to be more common during the teenage years. A gentle
consideration and effective communication from the parents can go a long way in securing effective
child-parent relationship. There is no one precise way to parent, every parent-child relationship is
unique. Parents also may come to realize that Children are all born with a particular temperament. Also,
most experts in child development agree that some traits are largely inherited. Environment has an
enormous impact on children's development.
Reasons for parenting styles
Why does parenting seem so effortless for some but full of challenges for others? Why are
some parents sensitive, responsive, and emotionally engaged with their children, whereas
others are neglectful, or even abusive? Answers to these questions are complex: parenting is
multiply determined by numerous factors existing between parent and child, within the
immediate context in which parent and child are embedded, and within the broader social and
cultural context.
At the most basic level are the parent and child. As noted earlier, children actively contribute to
the parent-child relationship. Parents treat bold children differently from reserved children, and
they treat bold boys differently from bold girls. Further, children themselves are likely to
respond to parenting differently, depending on their own unique characteristics. Parents
themselves bring numerous factors to the caregiving role, including their physical and mental
state and wellness (e.g., mood), basic personality, cognitive processes (e.g., attitudes, beliefs,
expectations), level of maturity and experience with children, and capacities for self-awareness
and reflection, as well as their childhood experiences of caregiving. how the unique
characteristics and needs of a child mesh with the internal and external resources of the parent
is especially important.
Each parent and child are embedded in a broader context of “family,” potentially including
other children, the other parent, and extended family. The quality of the relationship between
parents is especially influential. Both mothers and fathers benefit from having supportive
relationships with a partner, and parents with that support tend to be warmer and more
responsive to their children. Conflict, especially that which is unresolved and chronic,
undermines parenting; interventions that bolster the partner relationship are likely
to enhance parenting as well. Certainly, being a single parent invites multiple layers of stress,
ranging from having no one with whom to share the daily responsibilities of parenting to
managing overwhelming economic concerns. Extended family can provide important support to
single parents.
Community and social factors, including the parents’ world of work, the quality of the
neighbourhood, the social supports available, and general economic conditions, also affect
parenting. Parents who enjoy safe communities, stable and fulfilling jobs, and a
reasonable standard of living tend to focus more physical and emotional resources on their
children. Parents living in impoverished, dangerous environments are likely to approach
parenting differently—for example, by being more restrictive and by demanding more
immediate compliance. Economic hardship in particular exerts a heavy toll on parents and
children. The stress engendered by economic adversity is related to numerous problems, such
as depression, anxiety, illness, and maladaptive coping (e.g., alcohol use), all of which
compromise parenting. In general, as environmental conditions become more extreme,
parenting becomes more disrupted. For example, in places where child mortality is high,
parents show little investment in children they are not sure will survive.
At the outermost level are cultural influences, which often exert a nonconscious impact on
parenting. That is, parents are likely to perpetuate the patterns and habits of their
own culture with minimal awareness and reflection. Cultural prescriptions dictate specific
parenting practices, such as where children sleep and how to discipline, as well as more global
ideas, such as whether children are socialized toward compliance or self-assertion.
In summary, no single factor can completely explain why people parent in the ways they do.
Positive factors at each layer (e.g., a child with an easy temperament, a loving family history,
stable finances) enhance parenting, whereas negative factors (e.g., a child with a challenging
temperament, an abusive history, poverty) present risks.
