Healthy parent-child relations induce mental development

Gazi Shariful Hasan :
Rajen and Soma have two children named Shaan and Rownak. Rajen is working as a senior merchandiser in a sweater factory. He passes his time at office from 10 am to 9 pm. Soma is keeping herself busy at household works including grocery shopping and paying all sorts of bills. Both of them have a very limited time to give their children alone. When Shaan and Rownak see their other local friends playing, walking with parents, they feel a different feeling. One evening Shaan asked his parents very harshly that why they did not bring them outside like other friend’s parents. Rajen and Soma felt just like a thunder falling on them. Because they did not hear this type of expression from Shaan before. Then they felt something is going very wrong in the family. Too much distance with their children makes this present situation. They have to give more and more time in family and make a healthy relation with their kids. Rajen and Soma realize this situation early, but lots of busy parents cannot realize this problem in proper time. Some signals and signs from children’s regular behavior, parents can easily understand what is happening with their children.
Positive Parent-Child relationships provide the foundation for children’s learning. Children develop their skills in their own atmosphere with parents’ sensitive, responsive and expected care. From these they learn how to manage their emotions and behaviors. Early parent-child relationships have powerful effects on children’s emotional well-being (Dawson & Ashman, 2000), their basic coping and problem-solving abilities, and future capacity for relationships (Lerner & Castellino, 2002). Through these interactions, children learn skills they need to engage with others and to succeed in different environments (Rogoff, 2003).
“Families can engage in everyday learning activities, even with very young children, and help them to develop lifelong motivation, persistence, and a love of learning” (Dunst, Bruder, Trivette & Hamby, 2006). Family is the base-camp of life for every child. Learning process of children starts from here first. For this reason parents should be careful about this. If not, then it will be creating an immense effect of children’s future life and present family life also. Because children tries to learn how to adjust to new situations and to resolve conflicts from positive parent-child relationship. This is parent’s responsibility to build warm, trusting, and reliable relationships with children. If the parents can build positive relationships with children life becomes easier. We have to evaluate the present status of our relationship with our child or children first.
Language is the preliminary tools for Parents to communicate with their children. We should be alert when we are using words and sentences with children every time. Because they learnt from us. Sometimes they try to copy as like as our expression. In that time child sense develops. Parents can participate with their children in early literacy activities. By engaging children parents can promote in joint literacy activities such as reading together and sharing exciting conversations about educational topics.
For example, pointing to and naming objects, storytelling, and reading help to build a bridge between parents and children. Responsive parental behavior provides the foundation for healthy brain development. It increases children’s will power. We should remind one thing that child does not like lectures. They want to tell more and listen less. So, we have to be a good listener. We have to remember that our job is only to listen and facilitate. We have to know our child’s likings and dislikings, choice of activities such as favorite TV shows, favorite dress, best and worst subjects in school, etc. Activities outside the home enhance one-on-one interaction between parents and children within their own environment. For example, going out to eat together, watching movies, play or drama, engaging in singular sports like playing football or cricket, riding bikes, we will have to do that. Play is the primary mechanism for the expression of feelings, communication, and solving emotional problems for younger children. It is a vehicle for creating a solid bond between kids and parents.
Parents should involve in their children’s extracurricular or school activities. This kind of singular experience is very powerful to develop their mind structure. Recognition is very important for a child. We have to give recognition or prizes to our children. They remember it forever. These acceptance and recognition will go a long way in teaching them how to perform and participate in the larger community.
Day to day interaction boosts Positive Parent-Child Relationships. These interactions help children develop a sense of self. It will also help to construct their emotional, physical, and intellectual development. This assists to make emotional regulation skills and self-control skills too.
Parents all over the world want what they believe is the best for the children. What would happen if we do not realize the importance of positive relationship between children and parents? Without this lots of potential problems and difficulties must be faced by both childen and parents. It creates some social problems like loss of confidence, loneliness, learning disorders, anxiety and depression, suicide, self-harming. Mental illness makes children to take alcohol and drug. Then theft and criminal behavior comes. Some other bad things emerge in their mind such as selfishness, defiance, recklessness. Children’s gentle behavior turns into unstable, violent, disruptive and chronic misbehavior. All of these will be decreased learning ability and academic achievements of a humble child.
Marital conflict has great effects on a child’s attitude via the mother-child and father-child relationships. This is very much true that poverty impacts children’s development, parent-child interactions, their relation and family functioning both directly and indirectly. Families living in poverty are more likely to provide limited education for their children. When families are isolated, lack resources, and live with greater stress and instability, the risk of negative child health and behavioral outcomes is higher (Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). Children’s development can be thrown off track when parents are highly stressed, lack social support or when they see their child’s temperament as difficult (Hess, Teti, & Hussey-Gardner, 2004).
During pregnancy parents have to show higher levels of sensitivity with their children. It may be able to strengthen their bond with their child definitely. Creating a safe and healthy prenatal environment is an early step to fostering a positive parent-child relationship. Strong attachments with children can also develop positive relationships. Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of a child from infancy to childhood. Research has shown that intense parental discord is the root cause of developmental problems in children. No doubt a good relationship between husband and wife benefits their children and makes a healthy and friendly relation among them.
-PID-UNICEF Feature